Something to Protect: Echoes
by Angelswrath
Summary: As Inuyasha and his group foil plan after plan, Naraku begins to concentrate less on the pieces of the Shikon no Tama and more on destroying them. With the Shikon's power beginning to act strangely and the group becoming stronger Naraku creates a plot de
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

Miroku's legs finally gave out as he reached the banks of the raging river.He tried to take a step towards the waves, but his body had succumbed to sheer exhaustion. Unable to take even one more step he crumbled weakly to the ground. _I have to do this! _His body obviously had other ides as it remained motionless. Kneeling on the earth, the monk's lungs strained as he valiantly tried to draw a proper breath.

He didn't notice the crimson drop of blood that fell from his tear stained cheek and merged with the wet sand. Though that might be the least of his worries. At the moment the inescapable that consumed his entire being held his full attention.

A void, darker than anything he'd ever created, threatened to engulf him.Vision blurring, he futilely fought against it. He needed to stay conscious. He needed to feel something.

_Anything._

_Pain would do for now._

He felt an eerily numbing sensation spreading throughout his body. _Shock was what Kagome-sama had called it. _He'd experienced it before after a particularly viscousfight with a water youkai. Nothing could compare to what he felt now.

Miroku shook his head violently, trying to dispel the images that continued to assault him, and return feeling to his limbs. He grit his teeth in frustration as both refused to dissipate. His fingers dug into the wet ground at his feet, as he squeezed his eyes shut, willing the memories to fade. Ironically they grew more vivid, as the sounds and smells of the last hour embedded themselves forever into his memory.

_Denial had been his initial reaction. "Impossible", he'd_ _mumbled_ _to himself, even as the familiar acrid smell wafted to his nose._

_Dried earth and sulfur._

_Miroku felt his hands clench into fists in apprehension. The monk felt_ _paralyzed, his feet rooted unnaturally to the windblown earth._ _Miroku attempted to drag his eyes from the taijiya sprawled on the ground in front of him, his staff gripped protectively between her fingers. The mere sight of her broke his heart. He could not bring himself to meet her gaze and instead chose to raise his eyes to his surroundings._

_His first mistake._

_Mysteriously tear filled eyes widened as he surveyed the damage. The small Musashi village had been leveled. A feeling of foreboding crept over him as he stared at what remained of the huts. Straw roofs scattered beyond repair, tatami mat doors ripped away, stables mysteriously empty. . ._

_This could be the result of the youkai attack Miroku rationalized weakly in his mind. Though even as he thought the words a million reasons why that could not be bombarded him. His stricken eyes met those of the trembling villagers and the audible gasp and their cries of fear made him turn his head away in disbelief. He almost wished he hadn't as he tried and failed to ignore the glare of Jaken, Sesshoumaru's little shadow._

_A few feet away Inuyasha was clutching Kagome to him tightly. A rare expression of their unspoken feelings. The girl's face conveyed her horror as she clung weakly to Inuyasha's fire rat haori. She seemed to be relying on the boy's hand on her back to stand, as her knees had given out moments before. Her vibrant gray eyes were now a stormy color, as she released one heartwrenching sob that seared his soul before quieting. The tears now streaming silently down her cheeks. The hanyou couldn't meet his gaze as he buried his face in the young miko's hair._

_Miroku felt Sango's stare, though she hadn't moved from the spot on the ground before him. Her's were still the eyes he could not look into. He had few fears, but he was deathly afraid of the fear and revulsion he knew he would find there._

_"Miroku", she whispered softly._

_His eyes jerked to hers of their own_ _volition. She'd called him Miroku he realized with wonder. With Sango it was always a reserved "Houshi-sama" or when he'd pissed her off with his wandering hand or eyes, "Hentai" or "Pervert". Or whatever she could think of at the moment. But never "Miroku". Never._

_He was almost relieved to find no fear in her gaze. But what he did find caused him to cringe and back away. Shame clouded his features as he stared into her glassy eyes. Sango rose swiftly from the ground, with the grace and ease of a trained warrior. She took a tentative step forward, letting her hand lightly grasp his wrist. His gaze_ _immediately_ _locked onto where she touched him._

_His eyes widened in horrific understanding as he watched her fingers touch the reddish-colored beads that now encircled his wrist._

_Miroku snatched his hand away as if she'd burned him._ _This was the last thing he'd ever thought he'd do when his shy taijiya finally got around to touching him._ _But his fragile excuse of denial had just been_ _annihilated. The mental barrier shielding his mind from the truth crumbled around him, and his world along with it._

_He remembered the terror, the screams,_ _but most of all the complete helplessness._

_He'd never felt desperation like what he'd just experienced._

_And then he remembered Sango flying towards him, Hiraikotsu forgotten on the ground. Her hair whipping loose of its high ponytail, the rosary clutched between her fingers, the same desperation in her eyes._

_The feelings boiled over and he felt the sting of tears in his eyes. "Gomen. . .", he mumbled, then shook his head at his inadequate apology. He couldn't_ _stand the look in her eyes any longer, so he turned and fled into the forest. He heard her scream his name behind him, but he didn't dare stop._

_"I'm so sorry", he whispered, as he raced away from her voice._

_Away from her tears._

_Away from the pity in her eyes._

Miroku felt disgust at himself rising within him. He had never moved that fast in his entire life. And although he could normally outrun the swift moving beauty, she had caught him this time. Caught his slowly disssapating soul. Her expression haunted him even now, though he was utterly alone. He'd used the last of his strength to make it to the river before they could catch him, with the sole purpose of pitching himself into the churning water, but now he hesitated.

The woman's eyes that compelled him to want to end his suffering, were the same eyes that kept him from moving towards the water's edge.

In the end Miroku's broken body made the decision for him. The spots of darkness before his vision grew, and he felt himself collapse completely onto the sand, as sweet oblivion finally claimed him.

_Author's note_

_Just changed added a little bit to it. Wanted to convey Miroku's desperation just a little more. Hope I nailed it. Lemme know what you guys think._

_ Blanket Disclaimer: Inuyasha's mine? Keh! I wish! I'm just borrowing 'em _

_**What the heck do these words mean:**_

_**Taijiya- Demon Exterminator**_

_**Hentai- Pervert**_

_**Gomen- Sorry**_

_**Houshi- Monk**_

_**Hiraikostu- Sango's weapon**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter One**

**Aftermath**

Kagome Higurashi released a tired groan and shifted onto her side on top of the rough futon. She opened her eyes slowly, hoping her vision would cooperate this time. Being this was her third attempt at "waking up" she was hoping that she finally got it right.

Her lashes fluttered weakly, but didn't close. _Good start. _When the light hit her eyes the world was still spinning, but that was expected. She didn't fall unconscious again. _Another mark in my favor._ The blurring figures finally materialized . . . into a set of mischieveous green eyesabout two inches away from her face.

She let out a startled shriek as she tumbled backwards rather inelegantly, struggling to free herself from the blankets that had become entangled between her legs.

"Kagome!" a voice squealed from beneath the mountain of blankets.

Kagome stopped her losing battle with the bedding as the small kitsune launched himself into her arms. She smiled down at him softly. The little fox cub was gripping her between his small fingers as if afraid she would fade away.

She had to admit that that was exactly how she'd felt the last few days.

After helping Inuyasha control the power of the Shikon shards, she'd felt as if her very essence had drained away. The last thing she remembered was thelook of utter devastationon Inuyasha's face as she'd collapsed.

After traveling with the hanyou for the past two years she had thought she'd fully covered Inuyasha's small range of emotions. She'd been wrong. That look had never crossed his features before. _And hopefully it never would again._

They'd brought her back to Kaede's village days ago, and she'd been recuperating ever since. At least she thought it had been days. _No telling. _She had spent most of the time fading in and out of consciousness.

She gave Shippou a reassuring pat, returning to her reclining position on the disheveled futon. _Inuyasha was probably furious, _she thought with a heavy sigh. They'd harnessed the power of the Shikon shards, finally drawn Naraku out of hiding, and she'd fainted!

_He'd probably complained about stupid humans and their weak constitutions all the way back to the village!_

_And poor Miroku and Sango, _she thought guiltily.

They'd sacrificed everything to get close enough to defeat Naraku. Vengeance for both of their families had been so close, and she'd screwed it up.

_Again._

Everyone seemed to have an ability to use against Naraku,_ everyone but her_. Technically she was a miko, but she could barely control her power the majority of the times. _The small amount of power she possessed, _she admitted glumly.

She didn't have nearly as much spiritual power as Miroku. But that was to be expected as he had been doing this most of his life, and she had been haphazardly training between geometry exams. But she was supposed to be the reincarnation of the great priestess Kikyou, and it had taken her all this time just to hit targets with her arrows consistently. _Not very encouraging._

And as for spiritual power, the undead miko had more power than she could ever possess. Sometimes she wondered if being the unofficial jewel detector was the extent of her abilities. . .

Kagome jerked upright as Sango and Miroku collided in their haste to enter the small hut.

_They must have heard Shippou,_ Kagome thought with a sigh.

"Houshi-sama!" Sango stammered blushing slightly.

"My apologies," Miroku said with the politest of smiles maneuvering the unsuspecting girl ahead of him.

Sango's smile turned into a glare as she heard Kirara's warning hiss from behind them. "Houshi-sama," she growled, her tone dangerously low.

She peered over her shoulder and sent him a piercing glare. He retracted the hand that was inches away from her butt with a sigh. The monk sent her his best sheepish smile.

"Not working," Sango said sweetly, taking a hold of his wrist in a grip that made even Kagome wince.

Ignoring his protests she dragged the lecherous houshi over to the futon, positioning him so his hands were in clear view of both girls. Kagome rolled her eyes at the pair, then noticed their attire.

"Why are you in your battle gear?" she asked, motioning to Sango's black and dark pink uniform.

Sango rushed to calm her friend before she became alarmed. "Just a small youkai problem."

"Was it bad?" Kagome asked concerned.

"Just a few low level forest youkai," Sango said dismissively. Kagome glanced at Miroku for reassurance.

"Inuyasha didn't even get to use Tetsusaiga," Miroku said giving an amused smirk.

Kagome smothered a laugh. She knew how much Inuyasha hated it when Miroku and Sango gave him what he referred to as the "leftovers".

She watched the monk's gaze shift from mischievous to concerned. "Are you feeling any better Kagome-sama?" he asked.

Her gaze caught Kirara as she hopped nimbly onto Sango's shoulder and nuzzled her neck. Sango let out a giggle as the neko youkai's fur tickled her skin. Kagome released a small sigh. Kirara's antics reminded her of Buyo.

Granted her pudgy cat had a couple pounds on Kirara, and he didn't do much hopping, but the sentiment was still the same.

More and more things were reminding her of home.

When she first fell into the well the longest she'd ever stayed in the feudal era was a day or so. Now she was lucky if she made it home once a week. This was the longest she'd ever stayed away. She hadn't seen her era in weeks. Kagome never thought she'd miss the congested city as much as she did, but she was beginning to think that was the case. Everything she encountered just reminded her that there was somewhere else she'd rather be.

She hadn't wanted to slow down the search for Naraku when he seemed so close, so she'd said nothing.

The longer the search went on for the Shikon no Tama the less going back to her era felt like going home and more like going to visit. Somewhere over the years this place had become just as much of her home as the era she had been born into. And that revelation was truly frightening.

All she could do was hope, probably in vain, that her family wasn't worried. Her mother would welcome her with open arms, then those same loving arms would probably try to forcibly restrain her when she went anywhere near the well. _Definitely not looking forward to that conversation._

"Kagome?" Miroku asked, worry etching his voice.

"Huh?" she said snapping out of her rather disturbing daydream.

"I asked if you were alright," Miroku said his eyebrows knitting in concern.

"I-I feel great now," Kagome stammered."I think all I needed was a good rest."_ Technically it's not a lie. Granted "great" might be the overstatement of the year. But being conscious is a big plus._

"We've been worried about you," Sango stated quietly.

Kagome smiled up at the young woman who'd become like a sister to her. "I'm fine." _It almost didn't even feel like a lie that time._ Maybe with a little practice she'd be able to pretend her head didn't feel as though it were splitting in two. Until then she'd concentrate really hard on not scaring her friends to death by passing out again.

"We knew that controlling the Shikon no Tama had to be no small feat," Miroku allowed, "and your miko energy would be drained, but we were worried most about. . ."

He searched his vocabulary for the correct word. When he couldn't recall it, he turned to Sango with a questioning glance.

"In. . .Infec. . . In-fec-shy-oon," she said pronouncing each syllable.

"Infection," Kagome provided with a geniune smile.

"Yes," Miroku said relieved.

When Kagome looked confused Sango motioned to Kagome's injured legs. "Oh that," Kagome said trailing off lightly.

"Kagome-sama those burns were quite substantial!" Miroku lectured, "Without proper care there could be lasting difficulties."

Kagome nodded obediently, though she'd nearly forgotten about her burned feet and ankles. The corrosive acid inside the demon had eaten through her thin socks seconds after she'd stepped from inside Miroku's barrier. She gave her toes an experimental wiggle and winced. They obviously weren't fully healed yet.

"We applied the medicine for burns that was in your kit," Sango added helpfully, motioning to Kagome's first aid kit lying in the far corner of the hut.

"They should heal quickly then," Kagome reassured the worried taijiya.

Kagome knew that Sango didn't really feel comfortable with her medicinal skills. Sango kicked youkai ass and Kagome bandaged up their companions when they inadvertently got their own asses kicked. If Kagome wasn't present then it was usually a mad dash back to Kaede's village for the old miko's help. It must have worried them that she had not been conscious to tell them the proper way to use her medicines.

"Now that you're better you can take care of the big baby," Miroku grumbled.

"Houshi-sama!" Sango scolded, elbowing the monk lightly in the ribs.

"Big baby?" Kagome mumbled a little confused. The abrupt change in topic threw her a bit. _Baby? Shippou?_ She figured Shippou had been glued to her side ever since she'd collapsed. _He'd probably annoyed the others with his incessant whining while I slept_, she thought with a sigh.

She felt for the kit. Kagome had taken responsibility of the child's care when he'd decided to follow them. _Somebody had to! _It had been between her and Inuyasha, who'd had a habit of thumping the poor thing on the head when he irritated him. So she'd gained a baby brother of sorts.

The fox cub in question was still snuggling into her shirt. He'd lost both of his parents without any warning, and he'd probably been terrified that he was going to lose her too.

"You weren't that bad were you Shippou?" Kagome asked, watching as his innocent eyes appeared cautiously from beneath the hem of her shirt.

He shook his head, and Kagome laughed at the serious look on his little face. She took the small window of time that he'd emerged from beneath her clothing to rub his belly playfully.

Both girls burst into laughter as Shippou flipped onto his back with a giggle, legs shaking madly.

Miroku mumbled something about "cute kids having all the luck" when Kirara leaped from her perch on Sango's shoulder next to the wiggling kitsune. Sango laughed as Kirara rolled onto her back in invitation, with a happy mew. Kagome reached her other hand over to give Kirara the same attention she was giving Shippou.

"See Shippou's been a good boy," Kagome said defensively. Shippou attempted to agree between snorts and giggles.

Miroku rolled his eyes. "I wasn't talking about the kit, I was referring to the pup."

"The pup?" Kagome repeated confused.

Sango nodded toward the door with a venomous glance.

_They've got to be kidding. _"Inuyasha was being a big baby?" Kagome mumbled, saying the words out loud, not quite sure she believed them.

"More than normal," Shippou agreed, scrambling up onto Kagome's shoulder.

"He usually saves his moods for when you go home," Sango added, "but he's been acting like somebody killed his best friend."

Kagome snorted in disbelief. _Like Inuyasha would ever admit that he had any friends at all, let alone that she might be his closest._

She let out an exasperated sigh. Shippou could be pretty annoying when he was upset, but he had nothing on Inuyasha's temper tantrums. He could do some real damage if he gave into the urge to. _And knowing Inuyasha that was pretty much imminent._

"When he wasn't sulking he was terrifying the villagers and Shippou," Sango said relating his transgressions.

"He annoyed Kaede-sama until she ordered him to go occupy himself," Miroku added, "then he proceeded to destroy two barns minutes later while he was practicing' with Tetsusaiga."

Shaking her head knowingly, Kagome resigned herself to hear the rest. 'Practice' sessions with the legendary sword almost always ended in collateral damage. _And that was when Inuyasha was in good mood, _she thought wryly.

"Don't forget about the field!" Shippou piped up, not wanting to be left out.

"Do I even want to know?" Kagome asked Sango quietly.

"Probably not," Sango admitted, but Shippou continued anyway, obvlious to the miko's tenous hold on her temper.

"He destroyed a field full of crops!"

"He did what!" Kagome yelled attempting to rise to her feet. She winced in pain and sat back on the futon, rubbing her ankles gingerly.

"He swore he smelled Naraku in the field," Miroku said skeptically.

"Naraku!" Kagome cried her voice rising in fear as she jumped to her feet again, this time staying upright, despite the pain.

"Kagome-sama!" Miroku cried grabbing her arms to steady her.

"Naraku was here?" Kagome asked frantically._ When had this happened? They would have found a way to wake me up right? How can they be so calm about this?_

"No, no" Sango said reassuringly, "Inuyasha claims that he senses Naraku every couple of hours."

_That didn't sound right. _"But he's always been right before," Kagome defended.

"While that might be true," Miroku agreed, "I assure you that Naraku was not in the forest, the stables, the barn, or in the abandoned hut near the edge of the village."

"Don't forget the chicken coop," Sango reminded sighing heavily with the memory.

" Oh yes, how could I forget the chicken coop?"

"Feathers everywhere!" Sango said shaking her head.

"The villagers have been eating chicken for days," Miroku said lightly. "Which is why they weren't so happy with his latest mishap'."

"The field," Kagome guessed quietly.

"He was so sure he could smell Naraku in the field!" Sango declared.

"And when he couldn't see him because the crops had grown too high. . ." Miroku let his voice trail off as if daring her to guess.

_Oh no. _"He didn't!" Kagome said with shock.

"He did," Miroku reassured her, as Shippou proceeded to do an exaggerated demonstration of Inuyasha using Kaze no Kizu on the village's crops.

Kagome let out a frustrated growl.

"He's been hiding ever since," Shippou explained eagerly.

Kagome raised an eyebrow in question. Hiding did not sound like Inuyasha at all.

"Oh he's around," Miroku admitted. "He appears long enough to annoy everyone and then leaves."

"He's avoiding the villagers," Sango explained, "but he's always lurking somewhere close."

"Right, Inuyasha?" Miroku yelled, rolling his eyes.

"Keh!" a voice mumbled from the other side of the mat over the doorway.

Miroku rested his face in his hands in exasperation. "Kagome-chan you've got to help us," Sango pleaded, "it's like he knew that since you were injured he couldn't be punished." Kagome knew she referred to the subjugation spell.

"You guys know I can hear you!" Inuyasha growled.

"We are quite aware," Miroku said eyes narrowing in irritation.

Kagome's eyes widened at the anger in the mild tempered monk's voice, and felt anger of her own slowly building within her.

_Does he care so little for me? _She had to admit that she knew the thought was somewhat selfish, but once it crossed her mind it refused to leave.

She'd been hurt, and he'd been running off after every small thing that could lead him to Naraku. She'd always stood by his side when he was injured. No matter how much he insisted that she leave him alone. _Would it have been too much for him to wait and see if she would ever wake up, before continuing on with the 'mission'?_

_Was it because while I was unconscious she could not locate the shards for him?_ So because she'd had no practical use at the moment, she'd had no value? Granted he wasn't the most emotional creature, but would it kill him to pretend a bit for her sake.

Kagome felt tears threaten to leak from her eyes. Her anger quickly overtook them as she shrugged off Sango and Miroku's hold on her arm.

"Inuyasha no baka!" she whispered furiously.

She knew he'd heard her when he launched into his usual tirade about how weak humans were. Not exactly the response she'd been hoping for.

Blocking out the familiar words, she felt unwanted resentment surface and manifest itself in her voice.

She resented him for his tendency to point out every flaw she possessed. But mostly she resented herself, because a lot of what he said had a ring of truth to it.

_He was still talking, _she realized in annoyance.

Normally he answered with grunts and small sentences, but this was a topic he seemed to have no trouble expanding upon. She gritted her teeth, and struggled to ignore him. She failed as he moved on to her spiritual abilities

". . . . and you run in without thinking. I don't know if you ever think. You just notch an arrow and hope it hits something. It's not like you know what the hell your doing. It's not like you've actually had any kind of training. Damnit it's not like you're. . ."

He cut himself off abruptly, as the silence became more pronounced. It was deafening to Kagome. Full of all the things he wouldn't say and she would refuse to hear.

Sango took a step back as she glanced at the look on Kagome's face. It had gone from shock to embarassment to rage in the space of a heartbeat.

"Inuyasha. . ." Miroku warned.

"I'm not what?" Kagome whispered in disbelief.

Inuyasha was uncharacteristically silent.

Fueled by her anger alone Kagome snatched up her bow and arrows from where they were leaning in the corner. She strode to the door, pushing the mat out of the way with enough force to yank it from the frame. Inuyasha let out a startled yelp, and stumbled backwards, as her hand connected with his face through the mat.

Kagome ignored his plight and the pain throbbing in her legs, as she advanced on him. "It's not like I'm what?" she asked him again through clenched teeth.

He seemed to realize he'd made a mistake as his ears lowered slightly. She couldn't stop staring into his golden eyes, as he looked away guiltily.

She'd seen that look before.

Many times in fact.

It was then with a depressing pang Kagome realized her error. What she always knew was in his mind, but he could never bring himself to say. She didn't know if it was sheer rage at him or the beginnings of selfloathing but she was determined to make him say what he had been brave enough to almost blurt out moments before. It was as though on a deeper level she needed to hear the words more than he needed to say them.

"It's not like I'm who?" she asked correcting her mistake with a growl.

Sango's strangled gasp behind her back did nothing to soothe her wounded spirit.

_Say the words. _She implored him, with the damaged look in her eyes, to just get it done. _Say the words. _With every breath. With every fiber of her being she needed to know. Needed to know if this was how he really felt._ Say them Inuyasha._

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed slightly in defiance. And she could literally see the moment he refused to answer. His silence told her nothing, but the fact that she needed to know so desperately told her something even more damning. She nodded slowly as if understanding something, then turned and began to limp away.

"Kagome. . . ."

"Don't," Kagome snapped never turning to face him, struggling to ignore the repentence in his tone, "just don't."

She continued her painful walk into the village, ignoring the sound of Miroku's staff as it collided with the dense hanyou's head.

She couldn't dredge up enough feeling to care.

She should have known he would eventually say it. As many times as he'd hedged around it in the past.

She'd always thought that she was prepared for it. But she hadn't been expecting it as soon as she'd recovered. She'd just almost died helping him find the stupid jewel shards.

_But it hadn't been enough._

_Her current ability would never be enough._

Kagome couldn't help the feeling of inadequacy that threatened to overwhelm her. The throbbing in her ankles increased and she decided to blame that for the tears that reappeared in her eyes.

Inuyasha was right she admitted in defeat, it's not like she was Kikyou.

What she didn't understand was why if Inuyasha knew this, did he continue to compare them?

_Author's Notes_

_Just a few minor changes that no one probably even noticed, but were driving me crazy. Onward to chapter 2 revisions!_

_ Blanket Disclaimer: Inuyasha's mine? Keh! I wish! I'm just borrowing em. _

**What the heck do these words mean:**

**Baka- Idiot**

**Kitsune- Fox Demon**

**Miko- Priestess**

**Tetsusaiga: Inuyasha's sword**

**Neko- Cat**

**Shikon no Tama- Jewel of Four Souls**

**Kaze no Kizu- Wind Scar**

**Hanyou- Half Demon**

**- sama - Title of honor**

**- chan - Title of familiarity**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Two**

**Epiphany**

Kaede lifted her head from her task as she heard slow footsteps on the path behind her. Her hearing wasn't what it used to be, but she recognized them as Kagome's before the young woman emerged into view.

The obviously annoyed young woman had been growling under her breath which had narrowed the choices considerably.

_It either would have been her or the young demon slayer after dealing with the lecherous monk._

The girl stood there for a moment as if trying to figure something out, so Kaede returned to the job of trying to salvage as many of the destroyed crops as possible. Minutes later when it appeared Kagome would lose her nerve Kaede decided to try to ease the girl into a conversation to make it easier for her.

The old woman stood slowly, taking time to rub a particularly sore spot in her back with the palm of her hand.

"I see you're up and moving young one." she started slowly, "Is everything alright?"

Kagome nodded weakly, shifting her weight back and forth as if staying in one spot was causing her to be uncomfortable.

"Your legs will probably be painful for a few days," Kaede explained quietly.

"I know." Kagome replied slightly irritated that the woman had brought up her injury. Her fragile condition was just another weakness she didn't want to face at the moment.

Kaede raised her eyebrows slightly at the girl's tone, but didn't remark upon it._ She'd been through enough in the past weeks to warrant more than a little irritation._

Kaede watched the girl gather her courage for a third time then resign herself not to speak. The old milo though patient was not a mind reader and decided if she wanted to know what was going on with the girl she was going to have to force the conversation, but before she could confront the young woman about her mood, breathless words were hastily blurted from Kagome's mouth.

"Train me Kaede-sama!"

Kaede's shock must have shown on her face because Kagome's face was quickly turning red with embarrasment. She attempted to adjust her features to reflect mild surprise, but it was difficult given the circumstances.

"Train you?" Kaede started in confusion.

"I know it might be completely insensitive," Kagome started her voice barely above a whisper, "but I don't know who else to ask." She lowered her eyes, silently berating herself for even opening her mouth. Kaede though skilled, was probably the last person she should have attempted to recruit. But she should have thought of that before ambushing the poor woman.

"You mean train you in the ways of the priestess," Kaede said finally understanding what the girl wanted. Kagome just nodded rather pitifully.

Kaede understood the girl's hesitation though she didn't agree with it. Kikyou had trained her, and by training Kagome Kaede would essentially be imparting the young miko with all the knowlege that her sister had given her. A daunting task indeed, but she doubted that this was the source of the girl's discomfort.

When Kikyou had been ressurected she'd made it perfectly clear what she'd thought of the novice miko. Nothing but a flawed imitation that could never replace what she had once been. If Kaede chose to do this it could be viewed by some as a betrayal. Not that Kaede in her advanced years cared much for what others thought of her. Though she had been prepared to aid Kagome in her training if finally requested, the memory of her sister's last moments made her hesitate unexpectedly.

"You already possess the powers of a miko," the old woman reasoned.

Kagome snorted in disbelief. "The small amount of power that I possess is barely controlled. I can only infuse a small amount into my arrows and they are not always enough."

Kaede nodded in reluctant agreement, but she could not help but be honest. "I do not know if you are ready for this task my child."

Kagome's eyes darkened at her words, but she nodded in acceptance.

"Not because of the reason you believe," Kaede corrected softly.

She did not want to compare Kagome to her sister anymore. She had made the mistake of doing this when the child had first arrived in this era, and it had done nothing but help Kagome confuse her identity with the undead priestess for the last few years.

"A miko is more than an occupation it is a way of life," Kaede confided gently, "and there are things that you do that just aren't done as a priestess."

A look of confusion overcame Kagome's face. _Okay so I haven't been the most obedient of charges, and my temper doesn't exactly fall into the category of anybody's ideal priestess, but I don't think I've broken any sacred dictates. _She cringed as she mentally recounted her percieved sins.

"I mean the company you keep child."

"You mean traveling with Shippou, Inuyasha and Kirara," Kagome replied coldly.

"I love them as well," Kaede reassured her, "and that is not what I meant. I was referring to your. . um. . feelings towards Inuyasha."

Kagome turned her face away quickly.

Everyone seemed to know about her 'feelings' towards the short tempered hanyou, but no one had ever dared to mention them out loud. For reasons she didn't want to begin to guess at. But mainly because they had barely even admitted it to themselves.

"But your sister. . ." Kagome hedged.

"Wanted him to be human", Kaede stated quietly. Irrevocably.

"But if he didn't she still would have. . ." Kagome started in disbelief.

Kaede shrugged. "I honestly don't know Kagome. I just wanted you to know that your feelings might not be accepted."

Kagome finally looked the woman straight in the eye. "I don't need anyone's acceptance."

"Don't you?" Kaede whispered.

Kagome shut her eyes thinking briefly of the silver haired hanyou that constantly underestimated her.

"I don't need Inuyasha's acceptance!" Kagome lied openly.

Kaede smiled indulgently. "It is not Inuyasha's acceptance I was referring to child, but your own."

Inuyasha rubbed the bridge of his nose gingerly as he reclined on one of Goshinboku's long branches. Kagome hadn't hit him hard enough to leave a bruise, but it had still hurt like hell.

He hadn't meant to say what he'd been about to say.

_Well ok he had meant it._

Just not the way that Kagome had thought he meant it. He'd been an idiot to use Kikyou as an example for anything involving Kagome, but he wasn't about to admit it.

And had it really deserved her surprisingly solid left hook to the face?!

_Probably, _he thought, surprised at the small smile that crossed his face at her violent response. It was a hell of a lot better than the one she'd given when she'd finally gotten outside.

The look in her eyes had worried him. Not that her being pissed off with him was anything new. But the way she'd reacted had been strange. She hadn't called him a baka and she hadn't sat his face into the ground until he couldn't breathe, which was what he'd expected.

She'd just gotten that hurt look in her eyes and left.

He didn't know how to deal with that. Kagome yelling he could deal with.

_Keh! . . .Just yell louder than the wench._

But he had no idea what to do when she looked as if he'd just completely crushed her.

Inuyasha winced as a pebble smacked him in the temple.

"I know you know I'm here Inuyasha," a voice said from the forest floor.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. For a girl who took forever learning how to aim an arrow, she sure seemed to get accurate at pelting him with objects fairly quickly.

He'd subconsciously heard her sluggish approach moments before, but had struggled to ignore her. If she was going to continue to hold a stupid comment that he hadn't even gotten a chance to say against him then he wasn't going to be responsible for his response.

He was almost afraid to look at her. When he finally did he soon realized that he shouldn't have given his worry a second thought. Gone was the wounded woman he barely recognized. Here was the stubborn young miko that he knew and . . . tolerated. She stood below in the shade of the waving branches with escaping rays of sunlight bathing her in twinkling light. Inuyasha had an eerie sense of dejavu.

Her stands, hands perched impatiently on her full hips. The disgruntled pout. Even the way her stormy eyes glared up at him, as though trying to put together a puzzle that was missing more than a few pieces.

It all reminded him of the day over two years before when she'd stood exactly as she had now, exasperatedly telling him that her name was not Kikyou, but Kagome.

Ka-go-me.

The memory brought out a faint smirk, that he didn't dare let her see. He'd known from that moment that the feisty girl would prove to be trouble.

And she'd yet to prove him wrong.

The foreign emotions she'd shown earlier were a thing of the past. All he could sense from her now was a mild irritation. _Strange. Maybe I should test that theory, before she decides to give the right hook a try._

"Damnit, Kagome!" he said launching the pebble in her direction, smiling slightly when she almost fell on her ass trying to dodge it.

"I could've shot an arrow you know," she reasoned.

"And missed!" Inuyasha shot back with a priceless smirk.

"I didn't come to argue with you," Kagome said with a sigh.

"Keh!" _Well that's new. _

"Kaede's in the field you know," Kagome hinted.

"I know."

"Cleaning up the mess you made," she continued, hands returning to her hips.

Silence followed.

Kagome decided that hinting tactfully was definitely not going to work in this situation.

"Why don't you help her since you're the one that destroyed the village's main food supply?" Kagome growled.

"They've got chicken."

"Inuyasha stop being a baka!" Kagome snapped irritably.

"Naraku was in that field!" Inuyasha said seriously._ It was about damn time someone started listening to what was important. Like the homicidal maniac lurking nearby that nobody seemed able to sense but him._

Kagome rolled her eyes. "What does that have to do with you cleaning up the mess you made?"

"I can't be bothered with that right now," Inuyasha said quickly, "not when Naraku could attack at any moment."

Kagome recognized the stubbornness in his voice and gave up for the moment.

"Fine I'll go help her!" she challenged.

He shrugged nonchalantly and positioned Tetsusaiga in his arms more securely, before closing his eyes.

She turned on her heel, though it hurt like hell, and strode back the way she came.

"Baka," she mumbled.

"Annoying wench."

"Idiot!" she yelled continuing her indignant march.

"Bitch!"

She turned back towards the tree anger evident in her eyes. _Not good._

"Damnit!" Inuyasha murmured realizing his mistake a second too late. _When will I learn to wait until I'm on solid ground to piss this girl off?_

He dug his claws into the tree deeply. Actions he knew would prove futile. Flames leapt into her eyes as the miko disappeared into the forest.

"Osuwari!"

Inuyasha let out a panicked yelp as the force of the spell yanked his grip loose from the faithful tree and plummeted him face first through the branches into the unyielding ground below.

Inuyasha listened to make sure that she wasn't coming back for seconds before letting out a low groan. _Damn that had hurt._ He rubbed his nose again, this time more gently. He didn't know how much more abuse it could take. He lay there recovering his bearings for a second. _How tall was that damn tree anyway?_

He couldn't find it in himself to be angry at her. He'd deserved it. In fact he'd riled her up on purpose.

_Anything to get that disappointed look off her face._

He smiled a bit as her remembered the fire that had been in her eyes. Now that was the Kagome he knew.

His ears perked up as he heard Kagome's startled shriek from deep in the forest.

"Stupid girl," he mumbled. The girl was constantly tripping over things_. I should probably check and make sure she hasn't killed herself,_ he thought rolling his eyes, as he tried to pry himself from the ground.

The spell hadn't worn off yet he realized with irritation. Kagome would just have to do without him for a few minutes. _Serves her right, _he thought annoyed. After that fall he figured he'd earned a well deserved rest anyways.

His senstive ears shot to attention at the second scream that echoed through the trees.

Fear etched its every note. _Kami!_

"Naraku!" Inuyasha mumbled struggling in vain to lift himself again.

"Inuyasha!"

The terrified scream seared him to the core. Refusing to acknowledge his momentary helplessness he scratched desperately at the ground until blood seeped from beneath his claws. But it was futile.

He knew from experience that the spell would last a few seconds, maybe a minute longer, but Kagome didn't sound as if she had a minute.

His prediction proved hauntingly accurate the next time he heard her voice.

"INUYA. . ." He listened in sickening horror as her last scream was cut off abruptly, and there was nothing but silence.

_Author's Notes_

_I'm in the process of editing so I can clean up a few of the_ _formatting and grammatical_ _errors that were brought to my attention_. _A few new tidbits thrown in here and there. Not enough to shift the plot, but enough to make me feel a little better about posting it._

_ Blanket Disclaimer: Inuyasha's mine? Keh! I wish! I'm just borrowing 'em _

**What the heck do these words mean:**

**Goshinboku- Sacred time tree**

**Osuwari- Sit**

**Haori- Inuyasha's shirt/cloak**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Three**

**Evidence**

Kagome couldn't imagine what had possessed her to go and try to talk to Inuyasha. Sheer stupidity she supposed. Or maybe she was crazier than she originally thought? _I mean wasn't that the definition of insanity? Doing the exact same thing hundreds of times yet expecting different results?_

Insanity would explain quite a few things in her life. Her only excuse was that when Kaede had agreed to help her with her training she'd been elated. If Kaede, a trained miko of nearly half a century, thought she had potential, then maybe she wasn't as inept as she'd initially thought.

With her newfound confidence she'd set out to find Inuyasha, determined to make him aware of her plans. She'd known he'd argue with her over it. She figured he'd think she was out of her mind, since she didn't particularly like to fight.Not much she could do about that, but she had been determined to at least make him listen.

The girl had been so angry at the time that her plan had been quite simple.

First locate Inuyasha. . . then sit him into oblivion for the comment he'd made earlier.

_Okay almost made._

Then inform him of her decision while he writhed on the ground in agony.

Short.

Heartfelt.

And straight to the point.

Delivered in a way even Inuyasha was guaranteed to understand.

_It had sounded great at the time._

She'd been convinced that that was the only way to restore her fragile dignity. Which was an important part of her plan if was actually had any intention of following through with it. But when she'd entered the clearing and stared up at him, exerting all of his effort to ignore her, she just couldn't do it. She hadn't an inkling why. God knows he deserved it.

Her anger had diminished gradually during her long trek through the forest, and by the time she'd located his red haori among Goshinboku's branches she just didn't feel like arguing with him any longer. _Should have gotten here quicker. _

Kagome guessed her grandfather had been right when he'd compared her anger to a candle's flame. Burning bright when it flared up, but put out easily by the slightest gust of wind.

Kagome pushed a low hanging branch out of the way, letting out a shriek when she misjudged how fast it would snap back and had to duck to avoid being slapped in the face. _Real graceful, Kagome. _She glanced over her shoulder self-consciously hoping Inuyasha hadn't witnessed her near mishap. She could already hear his "stupid girl" comments in her head. She released a sigh of relief when an insult wasn't hurled out at her.

He probably hadn't started following her yet. Your face being plastered to the ground tended to have that effect.

He always did come after her eventually, no matter how annoyed he pretended to be. She didn't sense anything.

_Wait,_ _I think I felt_ _a flicker of something._

Inuyasha was probably a little ways behind her. He'd catch up to her in a minute or two.

_Him being furious was pretty much a given._

She'd heard the loud thud signaling his crash to the ground, all the way from her current position in the woods

_Maybe I_ _was_ _a little harsh._ Sitting him while he was in a tree, especially one as tall as Goshinboku, probably hurt like hell. It's not as if he hadn't deserved it though.

The youkai presence coming towards her through the forest caused her to wince.

Kagome let out an exasperated sigh. Expecting Inuyasha to drop out of a tree at any moment, and give her hell for leaving him, she glanced over her shoulder impatiently. She was concentrating so hard on figuring out where he would appear from, so he wouldn't scare the hell out of her, that she didn't notice the root protruding out of the ground in front of her.

Which probably saved her life.

Her foot connected and she pitched forward, sprawling onto the ground with a hiss of pain, as the malevolent presence washed over her.

_W-What?! _Kagome stared up in horror as the serpent youkai finished its strike, snapping at the place where she had been standing just moments before.

"The Shikon no Tama," the reptile snarled irritated by its failed attack, "give it to me!"

Ignoring her initial instinct to freeze where she was she scrambled backwards wildly, reaching blindly for the arrows that had been scattered from her quiver when she'd fallen.

_Where did it come from?!_

Kagome watched in rising fear as the fifteen foot snake coiled itself with an angry hiss, and prepared for another strike. She let out a gasp of relief when her fingers closed around three of her errant arrows. _Her bow!_

She glanced around wildly for it, and spotted it at the foot of a tree.

About three feet away from the youkai that was even now springing to attack her!

Kagome dove to the side, clutching the arrows to her chest, not willing to lose her only weapon. She let out an involuntary cry, as the snake's fangs collided with the ground with a loud crack. Rolling swiftly Kagome made a mad scramble for the bow.

Her fingertips had just clasped around it as the serpent's heavy body came crashing down on her tender legs. Kagome released a wail of agony, and awkwardly notched an arrow.

Its fangs were no more than four feet away from her when she fired!

She sighed at the familiar release of energy, and smiled in satisfaction as the youkai disintegrated into nothingness with an earsplitting cry. Kagome groaned at the sudden release of her legs and stumbled slowly to her feet.

Her hands trembled briefly as she dusted the dark colered ashes from her clothing, hoping all the while that the charred stench wouldn't decide to make a home in her school uniform.

_Ha, so I'm not completely useless._

She took a wincing step towards the village, her legs almost buckling from the pain. Kagome ran her hands through her disheveled hair in frustration. Maybe the snake youkai was a sign that her decision to train had been the right one. She had to admit that she did have some natural talent, and maybe with a little work she would be standing beside the others in battle, not behind them.

One thing was troubling her though.

_Why_ _wasn't I_ _able to distinguish between the serpent's youki and Inuyasha's? _She'd traveled with the him for quite some time, and in the last few months been able to determine his youki from others. A hanyou wasn't as easy to detect, as his power wasn't as obvious as the others.

_So why had the serpent's youki been so faint?_

Kagome decided to ponder these questions in the comfort of the village_. If I ever make it to the village._ She glared at her uncooperative legs.

She took another hesitant step, and managed to stay on her feet. The next step was not so fortunate though, as she fell to her hands and knees. _Beautiful._ With her luck she'd probably have to wait for Inuyasha to find her. _Well at least I can rub in his face the youkai he didn't get a chance to kill._ The somewhat evil thought brought a small smile to her features.

The sensation of the ground shifting washed away all joy from her face. Her first thought was that she'd overexerted herself. _Am I really that injured?_

Her eyes squinted in confusion as she felt the earth tremble again beneath her fingertips. _What was that?_

Kagome's eyes widened in shocked realization as the ground literally erupted beneath her! The force alone sent her airborne. Spinning constantly in what she deemed the most unaerodynamic way possible, she enjoyed a brief flight before landing roughly in a cluster of bushes.

Letting out a low moan as she sat up slowly, she blinked several times trying to decide if the sight before her was real._ I must have knocked myself unconscious._

The snake that was coiled a few yards away made the serpent she had just killed look like a caterpillar. This thing resembled something out of a horror movie.

She watched it slither to what little remained of the smaller snake. The hiss that emitted from the youkai's enormous mouth sounded furious.

_No wonder the first snake's youki had been so faint_ _until it had attacked! It had been traveling underground!_

Kagome backed away slowly, never rising from her crouched position. She struggled not to draw the serpent's attention, while clinging to her two remaining arrows.

The burning in her ankles increased, and she bit her lip to keep a pained squeak from escaping. Watching cautiously as the youkai's tongue flickered out repeatedly, as if trying to catch the scent of prey.

Kagome stared in shock as the beast swiveled its massive body in her direction, its beady eyes focusing on the clump of splintered bushes that was serving as her hiding place.

_It couldn't possibly see her!_

The frightened girl watched the snake lick the air once more experimentally, then release a gigantic hiss.

_Could it?_

"You!" the enraged youkai screamed.

_Oh, Kami!_ It darted at her so fast that all Kagome could do was scream in terror, and raise her arms in a futile attempt to protect herself.

The collision sent her tumbling across the ground until she collided with the thick trunk of a tree with a loud smack. The impact was enough to jar her teeth loose.

The rough bark caught in the fabric of her already well worn clothing shredding holes dangerously close to her sensitive skin. She struggled to remain lucid, barely hearing the youkai's enraged accusation that she had killed its mate. Her vision was swimming before her, but not enough not to notice the scaly beast bearing down upon her again!

She drew in what could be her last breath, and let out a desperate scream that echoed off the trees in the surrounding forest.

"Inuyasha!"

The youkai paused mid-strike, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. Instead of descending upon her it wrapped itself around her and the tree, pinning her to it in a crushing grip.

"Inuyasha?" the youkai asked, staring down at Kagome as if debating whether to bite her head off or not.

His mouth opened revealing his poison dripping fangs. A drop of the yellow fluid about the size of Kagome's head fell from the youkai's mouth and landed on the trunk of the tree, about an inch away from the young girl's face.

The bark melted almost instantaneously with a sizzling pop.

Kagome's eyes widened as she struggled to reach one of the arrows that was currently pinned to her heaving chest. She wouldn't be able to fire it, but maybe she could manage to infuse it with enough purifying energy that she could get him to release her.

Her wiggling antics only caused the youkai to laugh down at her, as she grit her teeth in frustration.

Kagome didn't understand the pure terror that was attempting to overtake her. Exaggerating her senses and dulling them to her surrounding environment simultaneously.

She could feel its repulsive breath on her sensitive skin, causing her to shudder in revulsion, a true panic beginning to take hold of her.

She thrashed against the creature in earnest.

She knew she'd been in situations far more dangerous than this, but for a reason that she could not understand she'd never been more frightened in her entire life. Pure terror coursed through her as she desperately tried to recall a situation that had inspired this much fear.

Not when she'd first fallen through the well.

Not when she'd felt her spirit being ripped away from her body to resurrect Kikyou.

Not even when Inuyasha had given in to his youkai half and slaughtered those bandits in cold blood.

Her vision began to blur as anger began to mix into the torrent of her emotions.

_Miroku and Sango would have no problem with this_. What they constantly referred to as a "low level youkai." The snake that was currently sending tremors of fear throughout her entire body was what Inuyasha considered a "leftover".

And she was completely at its mercy.

The youkai was still speaking to her, she realized, but she couldn't hear him. She watched his mouth move, as the irrational sensation continued to hold her in its grasp.

One of his demands finally filtered into her panicked brain.

"Tell me more about the hanyou," the serpent hissed at her. Kagome stilled her movement in shock. _How did he know of Inuyasha? How did he know he was only half youkai?_

He seemed to read her mind. "Thisss isss hisss foressst," he whispered, the serpent's tone mocking, his exaggerated s's flicking acidic saliva into the stale air. "Now where isss he?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but fear caused the words to lodge in her throat. _What should I say? Should I even speak? _Saying anything about Inuyasha to this vile creature, even a lie, seemed a betrayal to her. When she remained silent he tightened his grip on her, squeezing the breath from her lungs.

The terrified scream was building painfully, but her thoughts were of a stubborn half demon. Any second the youkai would surface from its grief stricken rage and sense a power much too strong to be hers.

The Shikon no Tama in the small jar around her neck.

If Inuyasha didn't appear before the youkai discovered it then there would be nothing stopping him from taking them. She could barely think straight, let alone defend the jewel.

The serpent was staring down at her as if she were some type of strange toy. It seemed to be contemplating the amount of fun to be had before growing bored and disposing of her.

Her ear shattering scream took him by surprise.

He hadn't thought he had been allowing her to inhale enough air to make a noise above a whisper.

"INUYA. . ." The youkai tightened his body in reflex.

Kagome felt the panic escalate until she couldn't even make out the image of the massive snake that held her prisoner. Her heart began to beat faster as she fought the urge to pass out.

A warm fluttering sensation suddenly passed over her limbs, which had gone cold from lack of circulation. She couldn't decide if the fleeting sensation was pleasant or not, but it felt vaguely familiar.

For the briefest of moments she was no longer in the forest, though she had no inkling of where her mind had been transported. Kagome squinted trying to bring the impossible images into focus.

_A flash of blue so dark it almost looked black. Long tendrils floating softly against her skin. Lingering rays of light wafted around her, dancing in the air. The sun reflecting off of something glistening. A blade? Its shine so bright it gave the impression it was made of pure silver instead of mere steel._

A sharp crack against her chest dragged her back to reality and sent more than a little fear racing through her veins._Had he broken a rib?_ she thought in horror, waiting for the excruciating pain to reach her frazzled mind.

Relief washed over her when the pain didn't come. But relief turned to horror when she realized that it was her wooden bow clenched to her body he'd snapped and not one of her bones.

Numb with terror and barely clinging to consciousness, suddenly irrationally all Kagome could think about was her bow. She turned all of her concentration to her broken bow, fighting to make sense of what had just happened. Fighting to remain conscious. It had been one of her most prized possessions. Though she was only mildly proficient with the weapon, she still felt tears gather in her eyes over its loss.

She'd replaced it many times after arriving in the Feudal Era, but she had held onto this one the longest. This one had even become lighter and easier to shoot every time she'd picked it up.

Kagome knew that she shouldn't be whimpering over a chunk of wood when she could barely breathe, but at least concentrating on these emotions seemed to be relieving the fear induced paralysis she'd been gripped by.

The sudden stiffening of the serpent's body caused her eyes to widen and the small amount of breath she had left to expel from her lungs. Scale covered muscles tensed to unbelievable proportions and her vision grew pitch black around the edges. Her fading senses barely recognized the serpent's thin lips turn up into a crude smile. But with that smile Kagome'slast sliver of hopedisappeared.

_He sensed the jewel._

The youkai brought his face so close to hers that his toxic tongue nearly flickered over her skin. "It seems I no longer need you after all."

_Author's Note_

_Feedback: Love it! Just no flames please. Be constructive please._ _Thanks for the great reviews you guys:) Keep them coming. They motivate me!_ _I know I didn't make Kagome as courageous as she normally is in this situation, but there is a good reason for that:) Keep reading to find out)_

_ Blanket Disclaimer: Inuyasha's mine? Keh! I wish! I'm just borrowing 'em _

Review response:

"Not to be mean or anything, but if you're basing it off the show, then Kagome's been training throughout the series with Keade. Also, her powers are bigger than Kikyou's in the show."

_I do know that Kagome has been training so don't worry._ _Kaede has always shown her how to enhance her miko abilities. Kagome has also never asked to be formally trained. Her powers are still a little wild. Though she can infuse her arrows with purification energy with the best of them. There are still many things she has never been formally trained to do. Such as spell reflection (she used it on Tsubaki, but it was an emotional response and has never been replicated), creating a barrier, healing, and an assortment of other things. I don't believe she has the control or confidence that Kikyou has, but I believe she has the potential to eventually surpass her. Hope I explained it well enough. Feel free to ask more questions:) I don't want anyone to be confused._


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Four**

**Unconscious Decisions**

Inuyasha's feet barely touched the ground as he flew through the eerily silent forest. The muscles in his legs screamed in rebellion as he pushed himself to the limit. He crashed through the dense underbrush, ignoring the painful sting of the thin branches colliding against his skin.

Sunlight filtered through the trees creating a distracting array of shadows and light that continued to hinder his vision. The hanyou skidded to a halt for what felt like the hundredth time. _This is taking way too long._

The patches of darkness were what bothered him the most. An enemy could hide easily in those concealed places.

Watching him.

Stalking him.

Laughing at his inability to protect what was his.

_Whoa! His? When did I start thinking of the wench as mine? _He didn't even want to elaborate on that random thought. Had her constant "osuwaris" given him some kind of head injury?

He didn't consider himself a possessive person. _You had to have possessions to be possessive, right?_

He'd never owned anything besides the haori on his back and the sword at his side. He couldn't imagine now becoming possessive after two hundred years.

Inuyasha, though perplexed, didn't even pause in his search. _She's my. . .my responsibility,_ he amended, satisfied that duty was an emotion he could handle with little effort.

Calming himself and his wayward emotions, the hanyou leapt into the trees for a better view. _How long ago had it been since she'd yelled out for me? Seconds? Hours?_

_It felt like an eternity._

Kagome's desperate scream echoed in his ears.

It would help if he knew where in the hell it had come from in the first place. This wasn't exactly the smallest place in Musashi and the raw fear in her voice had distorted his overly keen senses. Panic had caused him to become unusually disoriented. He knew this forest from the very top of Goshinboku's majestic branches down to the roots of the ancient tress that had come long before his time.

The fact that he couldn't locate one glaringly out of place twenty-first century miko only caused him further frustration. _Where the hell is_ _she?_

He recognized that the speed he was using to vault from branch to branch was dangerous, even for him. Consciously ignoring the fact that slamming into a tree at this rate would probably send him spiraling unconscious to the forest floor, he crouched and leapt again, his pace only increasing.

_There's got to be something. _Stopping at breakneck speeds was an art he should have perfected by now, but he realized he'd stopped too suddenly when he almost toppled off of the wavering branch. Silver locks flew forward, momentarily impeding his vision, as he grunted in annoyance.

Claws digging into the branches in apprehension, Inuyasha desperately scanned his surroundings. His amber gaze immediately locked onto the trampled underbrush beneath him.

He often complained of Kagome's tendency to "create a path" where there was none. Sometimes the wilderness became a little too much for the Tokyo born city girl and these little temper tantrums against nature seemed to be the result.

Inuyasha's eyes widened in surprised recognition, as the young miko's unique scent enveloped him. A combination he'd never encountered in the feudal era until he'd taken a disbelieving sniff of her petal soft skin.

_Cherry blossoms and vanilla._

The endless amount of "girly" products that Kagome insisted upon lugging around, and her penchant for bathing every five seconds had finally paid off.

In that moment he promised himself that he would never complain about that irritating habit again.

_At least he would try._

_Keh!_ _Okay, attempt to try._

Taking an exaggerated sniff of the air around him, an involuntary growl rumbled from deep in his chest. Her sweet scent was slowly being overpowered by another. He jumped to the ground with an impatient huff.

The stench that assaulted him caused him to step back hastily, hand covering his recently abused nose. A putrid aura caused him to narrow his eyes slightly as bits of earth crumbled beneath his feet.

Something had definitely been traveling underneath the ground.

He took another sniff to be sure. Whatever it was, it was filthy, huge, and definitely demonic.

_Fuck._

The landscape went by in a blur of muddy brown and dark green as he chased after her light scent.

Inuyasha didn't even pause when he caught sight of a familiar pile of odorous ash. _She'd fired her bow, and killed. . . something. _

_Good girl. _Whatever had targeted Kagome had sensed an injured defenseless girl and attacked. Demon purifications could be excruciating for youkai, and Inuyasha didn't feel even a twinge of sympathy.

What worried him was the fact that the stench was not fading, but growing stronger. His excellent vision urged him to speed up as he struggled to piece together the scene forming in front of him.

If his eyes weren't playing tricks on him then Kagome was in the process of being attacked by the biggest damn snake he'd ever seen!

Inuyasha watched in horrific fascination as the reptile's tail coiled around the girl's neck and actually slipped into the opening of her mangled shirt. _What the fuck?_

If Inuyasha had been in an even semi-rational mood, which even he would admit was a rarity, he would have realized that the youkai was reaching for the Shikon shards that the miko wore around her neck.

But all he could see was Kagome's head hanging limply to the side. Leaves and underbrush tangled in her disheveled midnight tresses. Skin as pale as death.

Inuyasha felt his face heat. He didn't know if it was out of pure anger at the youkai or out of utter humiliation for Kagome. The slimy thing was all over her. The reason behind his reaction ceased to matter as he catapulted himself off of the nearest tree in an angry streak of red and silver.

His clawed hands curled around Tetsusaiga's throbbing hilt as he brandished it with a blinding flash.

It wasn't until he was bringing the legendary sword down in a lethal arc that he realized that the snake had wrapped itself around Kagome and a nearby tree. Providing itself with a massive anchor.

It wouldn't save him from death, but it was sufficient enough to hold Kagome in the path of the blast long enough that she also would not survive.

With the weight of the heavy sword already descending Inuyasha had no choice but to do the unthinkable.

He released Tetsusaiga.

The unguided sword clattered to the dirt with a resounding clang, that immediately alerted the youkai to the hanyou's presence.

Which was just fine with Inuyasha.

_Haven't used my claws in a long time anyways._

The burning yellow acid that flew past missed his face by mere inches.

Eyes rolling in annoyance, Inuyasha dove to the side with a growl. An unmistakable message to the youkai to release his hostage.

Ignoring the fiery tempered boy it curled its tail around the cord that held the shards secure around Kagome's neck. It snapped the cord with a vicious yank, and a disgusted glance at Inuyasha. "Worthless hanyou!"

Inuyasha glanced at the steamy glob that lay a few feet away, considering hurling the muck back into the youkai's face. The corrosive substance was currently eating through a clump of unfortunate bushes it had landed on.

_Poison youkai_, Inuyasha thought with a sigh. _That's just great._

His hate for poison youkai had begun at an early age and had festered for years.

An unwanted image of Sesshoumaru's arrogant smirk quickly came to mind. _Worthless, huh? Well, we'll see about that!_

Ignoring the irritating memory, Inuyasha flexed his claws and lunged at his enemy with renewed determination.

Fully expecting to dodge another wad of acidic saliva he leapt to the side when the youkai flinched.

It never occurred to him that it would hurl an unconscious Kagome at him.

_Well, where I would have been standing if my_ _damn dog reflexes hadn't_ _sensed an attack and insisted that I_ _dodge._

"Fuck!" Inuyasha dragged a clawed hand into the ground struggling to reverse his direction as quickly as possible. Launching himself full speed through the air at Kagome, he chose to ignore the fact that the youkai obviously intended to take complete advantage of his apparent inattention.

Inuyasha caught Kagome a moment before her abused body would have collided with the unyielding ground. Inuyasha used what was left of his momentum to crouch and leap clear of the acid that the youkai hurled at him.

Shielding Kagome from the brunt of the attack, he released a hostile growl in the direction of the snake. The ferocity of it surprised even him, as crimson soon leaked into his vision. _What the hell?_

Inuyasha had never kept his own conscious mind when his demon half chose to assert itself. And he rarely, if ever, had memory of the times he did vaguely recall. But right now he could literally feel his youkai surging. Moving like a drug throughout his limbs. Bathing him. Strengthening him. His deadly claws tightened around the fragile woman in his arms.

_Damning him._

His furious eyes completed the transformation to blood red momentarily, but Kagome's soft breathing against his chest stilled his movement. Her tiny inhalations filled his ears and soon he found himself matching their tempo. It was only then he managed to reign in the unsuspecting urge to rip apart anything that moved, and the red miraculously faded as quickly as it had appeared.

The hanyou reached out for his discarded sword, grasped the comforting blade, and re-sheathed it quickly. His fury grew as he watched the frightened youkai slither into the trees, the cord attached to the jar of Shikon shards clamped securely between its fangs.

Every instinct screamed at him to race after the annoying creature, and wipe that smug look from his face with Tetsusaiga.

_Then why aren't I moving?_

Kagome's shallow breathing answered his own question.

He couldn't risk going after the youkai with Kagome in tow. _What if she's_ _seriously_ _injured?_ Leaving her here alone was not an option. She was helpless and half dressed.

_More so than usual._

Inuyasha struggled and failed to suppress the unwelcome blush that appeared on his cheeks. The youkai's rough handling had ripped the girl's shirt nearly in two. He berated himself for looking, but couldn't help a momentary glance at the exposed creamy skin.

As many times as the miko had accidentally shown herself to him, he'd never looked. Really looked. His eyes were glued to her delicate frame and the swift gaze he trailed over her was unexpectedly heated. _What the hell am I doing?_

_If she ever found out I did this. . ._

Inuyasha winced as he imagined the "Osuwari!" that would follow.

Removing his fire rat haori, Inuyasha quickly bundled Kagome safe within its folds.

_She looks so fragile._ His fingers moved of their own accord and removed one of the many leaves entangled in her hair. Inuyasha jerked in surprise as confused slate blue eyes met his concerned amber gaze.

"You're okay now," Inuyasha grumbled, voice gruffer than he intended.

She didn't seem to mind though as a ghost of a smile played across her lips and she allowed her eyes to close with a sigh of relief. Inuyasha stood slowly, ignoring the emotion raging inside him. He gathered Kagome in his arms with a small sigh of his own, and walked away from the Shikon shards for the second time.

_Alone._

_I'm all alone. There's no one left._

_No one left that matters anyway._

The small girl fell to her badly bruised knees in exhaustion. The tall grass shielded the girl from the imminent death that pursued her.

The tears that she had grown so accustomed to shedding just wouldn't come. _Do I_ _have no tears left?_

Had she used them all up when she realized that there would only be one other person in the world who loved her? _Who would even tolerate my existence._

Had she cried them all when she was bartered away like an unwanted possession?

Or was it when she realized that even family was not obligated to feel anything towards her?

It must have been when she'd finally lost the only person she'd ever mattered to.

By the time her village had erupted in blazing fire and choking smoke she'd not had a tear left to spare.

_Especially for them._

She was on her own now. A hopelessly dangerous place to be. She had been trying to take care of herself, but already she was in way over her head.

Her initial courage was fleeting and had lasted but a moment. Deep down she knew the damning truth. _I can't do this alone._

_Alone._ The choking despair washed over her again, and she was surprised to feel wet drops on her copper skin.

Perhaps, she had a few tears left.

_I will not be alone!_

An image flickered through her grief wracked mind.

_A red garbed protector with fire in his golden eyes and a ready retort on his mocking lips._

_And his hair._

Flowing white hair that eerily reminded her of her own.

_Would he even help me?_

The rapidly approaching footsteps made her decision for her. She quickly shoved herself achingly to her feet, her battered body plunging through the thick grass as the footsteps of her pursuer faded away.

She headed west blindly. Towards the one who was so much like herself.

_The one who could not harm me._

The one who had just put newfound determination into her tear filled lavender eyes.

_Author's Note_

_Hope I gave a little more depth and feeling to how Inuyasha was feeling during this scene. It was bugging me a bit, but hopefully I got the kinks out of it._

_Special thanks to Mmoirai and Inufan625, the Dynamic Duo of Betas!_

_Keep the feedback coming! Thanks so much to those who have reviewed! It means sooo much to me! It motivates me to keep writing. Thanks again!_

_ Blanket Disclaimer: Inuyasha's mine? Keh! I wish! I'm just borrowing 'em _

**What the heck do these words mean:**

**Youki- Demonic Aura**

**Kami- God**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 5**

**Reflections**

The gleaming blade didn't slice cleanly through the warrior's neck. It made this horrible sucking sound as it lodged itself beneath his skin and deeply into the tissue. A look of horrified understanding registered on the old taijiya's face moments before the sickle was viciously yanked from his dying form.

Sango stumbled backwards blindly, a look of complete disbelief clouding her features. A strangled gasp escaped her lips as his eyes fluttered shut in silent acceptance. _Father?_

The seemingly endless flow of blood caused her eyes to burn with unshed tears. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides with rage. Urging her to draw the short sword at her back.

Every fiber of her being screamed retribution. Vengeance for her father's gruesome death, and satisfaction for the other countless taijiya that littered the ground around her. Fury compelled her to meet her younger brother's vacant stare.

Eyes colder than any demon she'd ever faced stared back into her own.

Sango shook her head in silent denial.

_Soulless._

She knew what she must do. But how could she?

She hesitated, searching for a flicker of the boy she once knew. The child who used to pick her wild flowers behind the training fields. There was nothing.

Nothing except the deadly weapon flying towards her.

In that instant she understood her father's unwillingness to fight back against him. That moment of hesitation would cost her everything. The excruciating pain entered her consciousness as darkness slowly claimed her.

_Kohaku!_

"No!" Sango's eyes snapped open in shock as she bolted upright on the soft grass. Her eyes, glassy with tears she refused to let fall, glanced around warily at her surroundings. Hand tightening on the strap of Hiraikotsu, Sango let her eyes close with a half-hearted sigh of relief.

_It had been a dream._ A vivid memory assaulting her while she slept.

A dejected sigh left her lips as she fought off the familiar waves of utter sorrow. The loneliness was all-consuming. Most mornings she found herself wondering if all of this was even worth it.

This never ending quest to gain back something she was afraid was already lost forever.

Her father had always told her to be strong, but she doubted if the sweet man had imagined that one day his little girl would be left completely alone. A flickering image of his smiling face caused her to grit her teeth in mounting frustration.

_I can't stand this!_ Memories of her family once evoked a small smile on her face. But no longer. The only thing they brought now was pain.

_Maybe it would have been better if I had never had a family to begin with?_

That shocking thought had her bringing shaking hands to her lips as if afraid she would voice the heinous idea. To never have known her parents love or to have been the apple of her father's eye? To never have Kohaku look upon her with adoration or fill her mother with pride. _What has Naraku done to me?!_

A look of determination flooded the taijiya's eyes.

Naraku was the master of manipulation. She knew he got some twisted pleasure out of the fact that she was in agony every moment. That her very existence was a tortured one.

She'd allowed him and her thirst for revenge to distract her to the point where she'd almost forgotten what was most important.

Her family's legacy.

The village of the Demon Slayers had been one of the most powerful before it had been ripped apart by that vile creature. That legacy needed to be passed on.

It could not die with her. It _would not_ die with her

Houshi-sama seemed convinced that given the chance he could re-populate her entire village within a matter of hours. As effective as that technique may or may not be Sango knew that she was not ready for the responsibility of children.

Though a small bundle of joy to fill the hole in her heart was a tempting prospect, she could not risk something so precious with Naraku still alive. _No, there has to be another way._

The familiar youkai presence caught her attention even before she heard Kirara's distressed mew coming from within the bushes.

Sango was on her feet in an instant. Slinging Hiraikotsu over her shoulder, she took off at a dead run towards the noise. The neko youkai, sensing her approach, turned and headed back in the direction of the village.

Youki flaring in a flash of blazing fire, Kirara took on her true form without breaking a single stride. Comprehending Kirara's urgency, Sango leapt onto her companion's back, clinging to her fur as she took to the sky.

The disturbed taijiya had almost given up understanding the reason behind Kirara's upset until they neared the village limits. Another familiar youki caused her to bring Kirara to a quick halt. _Inuyasha?_

He was coming straight at her. _Fast!_

Kirara's soft paws had barely lighted on the ground when the irate hanyou crashed through the trees at a breakneck speed. The panicked look in his golden orbs had Sango scrambling wildly off the cat's back. _What was that he was carrying?_

The red haori was bundled around something in his arms. Sango's gaze followed the hem of the fabric and spotted the black hair spilling pitifully out of the other side.

Her horrified scream was involuntary as she stumbled towards him, Hiraikotsu clattering to the ground in her haste. "Kagome!"

Almost afraid of what she would find, Sango hesitated. _No, not Kagome._

She ignored Inuyasha's possessive growl as she practically ripped the haori away from her limp body to inspect her. The girl was the closest thing Sango'd ever had to a sister. _She couldn't be. . . .!_

The slight rise and fall of her chest caused Sango to release a sob of relief. _She was alive!_

_How dare he scare her like that! How dare he. . ._ Sango's concerned gaze looked onto the girl's haphazardly torn shirt. Her irrational mind couldn't stop the semi-accusing glare she shot at Inuyasha. _How had he let this happen? He was never that far from the girl. Granted they had been arguing all day . . . _A horrible thought snuck unbidden into her mind. _He hadn't? He wouldn't. . ._

The hanyou's eyes narrowed as he absorbed her silent assessment. Not even willing to dignify that horrible question with an answer Inuyasha tightened his hold on the miko and sent Sango an exaggerated "Keh!"

A look of shame washed over the taijiya's features. _How could I think something like that?_ She struggled to slow her panicked breathing. _Of course he wouldn't!_

Sango couldn't believe how frightened she'd just become. Her mind had been unwilling to lose anyone else, and her fragile world had practically tilted.

It was still tilting, she realized with shock as the light-headedness made itself known.

Before she could react strong arms encircled her waist and steadied her shaking frame. "Breathe Sango," a reassuring voice whispered in her ear.

"Houshi-sama," she mumbled in thanks. Taking his advice and letting a deep breath fill her lungs, she felt the dizziness slowly fade away. Her world righted itself within his hold.

Glancing at his arms that were still clinging possessively to her, Sango decided to give the monk a reprieve in this instance. _Well,_ _he did save me from the possible pain and humiliation of fainting at Inuyasha's feet._

Kagome's injuries seemed to glare at the sympathetic taijiya. The ugly welts on her neck looked as if she had almost been strangled to death! _What had happened to the poor girl?_

"Now might be a good time to explain how Kagome-sama came to be injured," Miroku hinted.

"Damn snake youkai. . ." Inuyasha started, and began to relate the details of the incident to them. Sango watched Inuyasha's face with interest as his voice rose with every word he spoke. _Maybe I'm not the only one who needs a deep breath?_

Sango cringed in concern as he related Kagome's rather humiliating experience. _She'd been lucky to survive._ Her eyes took in the sleeping miko, reassuring herself that she would be alright. _Kagome's_ _strong. She'll_ _be fine._

"Then the bastard t-touched her!" Inuyasha stammered angrily. Sango flinched at the venom in his tone, eyes shooting to his face in confusion.

She blinked in astonishment, stumbling backwards more firmly into Miroku's embrace.

The monk's startled eyes shot to her face in complete shock. Sango always shied away from any physical attention. But he was not one to look down upon a gift.

He was so focused on his taijiya's apparent change of heart that he remained oblivious to her fear.

The crimson red that had filled Inuyasha's eyes momentarily as he recounted the incident had amazed her.

_Does he even realize what just_ _happened?_ Sango wondered as her worry grew. He had not paused in his rant, but he was gripping Tetsusaiga beneath his haori she realized as she watched his clawed hand tighten. _He knew._

The red had faded as quickly as it appeared. _Maybe it had just been an emotional response?Was that even possible?_ Glancing at Miroku to see if he'd noticed, she gritted her teeth in growing annoyance. His gaze was completely focused on poor Kagome's exposed chest.

Inuyasha seemed to notice his attention as well. "Son of a . . !" he growled, yanking his haori back over the sleeping miko, and taking a threatening step in Miroku's direction.

"You misunderstand my intentions," Miroku stammered, reluctantly releasing his hold on Sango with a sigh. "I wish no disrespect!"

He found himself pinned beneath their skeptical gazes. His shoulders lifted in a small shrug. "Although one must admit that our Kagome-sama does have lovely. . ."

Sango's quick slap ended that train of thought.

"Get to the point monk!" Inuyasha growled, pulling the haori tighter, still not convinced that Kagome was sufficiently shielded from his prying eyes.

Inuyasha did not appreciate the knowing look the lecher had sent his way. As if Miroku somehow knew that he'd sneaked a peek.

_There was no way he could know. Was there?_

Inuyasha pretended not to notice Sango's penetrating stare. _Great! That's all I need!_ That girl was as lethal as Kagome when she was riled up. All he needed was Sango finding out that he'd ogled her best friend while she'd been unconscious.

Inuyasha winced at the thought. _It sounds so horrible when you think about it that way._ Pushing away those unwelcome thoughts he turned his glare on Miroku who had yet to explain himself.

"Inuyasha," Miroku started gently as if afraid the hanyou would fly into a rage, "I'm sure you've noticed, but I'd be remiss if I didn't tell you, the Shikon shards are definitely missing!"

Sango let out a startled gasp. She'd been so overcome with worry that she hadn't thought to ask about the fate of the shards. _Oh Kami, they're_ _missing!_ _If they were taken by a low level demon,_ _Naraku could have the shards in a matter of hours!_

Letting out a sigh of frustration, Inuyasha nodded his agreement. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it." Miroku read the panicked look on Sango's face and dismissed it with a shake of his head.

_If no one else is worried then I shouldn't be,_ Sango reassured herself, fighting the urge to demand that Inuyasha tell her how he allowed the shards to be taken.

Sango reconsidered a moment later as Kagome moaned quietly in her sleep. _The poor girl has to be exhausted._ First fighting against that demon and now this. _She deserves a break._ _We have to leave._

They had lied to Kagome earlier. Demons had been attacking this village nonstop since Inuyasha had carried the unconscious girl into its midst. The could sense the power of the jewel fragments. And with Naraku quiet and not assimilating every low level demon in the vicinity into his grotesque body they all seemed to come out of hiding.

Sango's mind was made up. They could all use a little rest, and they would never get it there.

"I'm taking her home!" Sango declared firmly, motioning Kirara forward.

Eyes narrowing in confusion Inuyasha's grip tightened on the girl. "What are you babbling about? You can't take her through the well!"

Miroku nodded in agreement. "And I doubt she would want her family to see her in such a state."

Sango rolled her eyes at the intelligence of the men around her. Even Kirara released an irritated mew. Sango climbed upon the neko's back quickly. "Not her home, you bakas, mine!"

When Inuyasha looked as if he would protest, Miroku shook his head quickly. It was then Inuyasha noticed the wistful look on Sango's usually grief-stricken face.

_It was happening again._

Fifty years of repressed pain struggled for release inside the old woman.

Kaede had quietly watched Inuyasha and the others as they discussed what to do with the young miko, and had heard the story Inuyasha had related to them. More importantly she'd heard how he'd related it. Primal growls punctuating his speech as the hanyou grew increasingly angry. His attempts to combat his increasingly powerful youkai side.

She'd noticed the way he'd held Kagome, seen the way he touched her. The way, lately, his eyes focused on everything but her as if he was trying to forcefully drive the girl from his thoughts.

Kaede shook her head knowingly. Rubbing the rosary beads in her pocket nervously the old woman released a dismal sigh.

_It was happening again, and there would be no escape for the hanyou this time._

_Mmmm! What was that smell?_ Kagome rolled wearily onto her side for the second time that day.

She knew better than to try and stand immediately. She'd learned her lesson this morning. _Was it only this morning? It seems so long ago._

Struggling to keep her vision in focus, she took another sniff of the tantalizing aroma tempting her nose. _Ramen!_ Kagome let out a pleased sigh.

_Inuyasha?_ She located the hanyou sitting quietly beside the fire. His chest rose and fell evenly, Tetsusaigaclutched protectively to his chest.Like a teddy bear.

Somehow she didn't think Inuyasha would appreciate that little comparison.

Kagome felt a small laugh bubble up within her, but it disappeared quickly as a crushing pain swept through her restricted chest. _Restricted?_ Kagome eased apart the huge garment that almost engulfed her. She had been bandaged from belly button to breasts.

A warm flush spread through her. _Had Inuyasha. . ._ Her gaze shot back to the seemingly innocent young man. _Probably not._

Eyes narrowing in confusion as she scanned the room she realized that she was no longer in the village. Sitting up abruptly Kagome ignored the dizzying sensation that swept through her. _Where are we?_ _The place looks familiar._

"Inuyasha," she whispered, surprised at the hoarse quality of her own voice. _I sound like a frog!_ Her hands fluttered to her neck in confusion. She regretted it almost immediately. Pain shot through the tender tissue all the way to her collar bone. _Stupid snake!_

Kagome swallowed down the pained squeak that threatened to escape. "Inuyasha!" The hanyou's ears twitched a bit, but otherwise, he didn't move a muscle. Kagome let out an exasperated sigh as she realized that if she wanted to eat then she was on her own.

Maybe it was for the better that he remained asleep. Her puny attempts would probably only irritate him into another rant. She was definitely not in the mood for another lecture. No matter how truthful it may turn out to be.

She fought to keep her balance in the dark hut as she stumbled to her feet. _So far, so good._ Wincing as she took another step, Kagome almost reconsidered this expedition. Her ankles seemed to be in much worse condition than they'd been in that morning.

"Damnit, Inuyasha," she whispered, convinced he would end this charade and help her before she completely humiliated herself. As much as she didn't want him to yell at her, she feared falling on her face even more. _What's wrong with him? He always sleeps so lightly!_

Kagome silently congratulated herself as she made it to the cooking fire. After pouring herself a small cup of the steaming meal, she then proceeded to make her way back to the small pallet in the corner. _That wasn't so hard!_

Her legs didn't seem to agree as the pressure on her ankles proved to be too much.

The scalding hot soup slipped from her grasp splashing all over her. She only had a moment to thank Kami that she'd been wearing Inuyasha's haori before she began to crumble to the rough dirt packed floor.

Strong hands around her middle quickly halted her descent. Her agonized shriek startled her poor savior as he realized he was grasping her painfully bruised ribs!

Releasing her was instinctual, granted not the most thought-out solution.

"Damnit, wench!" The frightened girl was clutching Inuyasha's hakama, scrambling for a handhold. "Watch those hands!"

Unprepared for her weight Inuyasha lost his battle with gravity and sent them both sprawling.

The silence seemed to last forever as Kagome struggled to piece together the last few moments.

Inuyasha let out an indulgent sigh. "Can I ask you a question?"

Kagome didn't have the strength to answer but nodded weakly.

"How the hell do you survive in your time?"

"Baka."

Rolling her eyes at his annoying question, mainly because he'd had the nerve to sound genuinely perplexed, she used what was left of her strength to shove the irritating hanyou off of her and onto the sopping wet futon.

"Damnit, Kagome!" Inuyasha growled as the liquid soaked into his shirt.

She pinned him with a glare as he shoved himself to his feet. He looked as if he was considering leaving her exactly where she was.

Kagome let out a small sigh of relief as he hauled her to her unstable feet. Unrolling a second futon, Inuyasha motioned for her to lay down as he yanked his soaked shirt off with a loud grumble. It landed on the floor with a wet smack that made the girl wince.

She almost felt bad for splattering him until she glance at him. _ Almost. _Kagome struggled to keep her eyes from widening as she successfully flopped onto the dry bedding. She'd only witnessed Inuyasha shirtless a few times since she'd know him, and most of those times he'd been covered in blood.

She'd forgotten how. . .um. . firm he was. His lean build drew her gaze like a slew of muscles never would. The hidden strength packed within his frame admittedly enticed her a bit. _Ok more than a bit._

_Stop staring!_ her conscious ordered.

_I'm not!_

_You are._

"What'cha staring at, wench?" Inuyasha asked in confusion, glancing up from the pot where he was currently scooping out the rest of the ramen.

"Huh?" Kagome blurted, fumbling for an excuse as the blood rushed to her cheeks. "I'm just hungry."

"Well you should go ahead and get started," he said, nodding towards the noodle splattered futon.

"Inuyasha, be serious!" she implored.

"I am," he said firmly, "you had yours!"

_Greedy little. . ._ "It's my ramen!" Kagome justified.

"I cooked it!"

"That doesn't make it yours!"

"Fine!" he said with a smirk. "So come over here and get it."

"Baka."

This conversation was exhausting her, she realized in annoyance. "Fine, Inuyasha!" she declared, wrapping his warm and miraculously dry haori more firmly around her shoulders. _I gotta get me some of this cloth. _

Sleep was sounding like a better and better idea by the moment she thought to herself as she tried to soothe her wounded feelings. She gave in to the urge and let her tired eyes flutter shut.

_Baka . . . . Inuyasha . . . ._

_Author's Note_

_Not much changed here but a enough detail to warrant a repost._

_I'm still trying to get the hang of posting my fanfiction. I hope you guys are enjoying what I've written so far. Thanks for all the great feedback!_

_ Blanket Disclaimer: Inuyasha's mine? Keh! I wish! I'm just borrowing 'em _

_**What the heck do these words mean:**_

_**Bouzo- derogatory name for monk**_

_**Hakama- Inuyasha's pants**_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Six**

**Guilty Pleasure**

Kagome awoke to a cup of half eaten ramen being shoved under her nose. She looked into Inuyasha's eyes questioningly.

"I couldn't finish it," he mumbled, never making eye contact with the girl.

_When has_ _Inuyasha ever not been able to finish ramen?_ She'd seen him eat an entire pot- full upon occasion.

She accepted the lie and the steaming bowl for what it was: his pitiful yet heartfelt attempt to be nice to her. She gifted him with a small smile before carefully sitting up and digging in.

She pretended to ignore his longing look at the cup and the small pout that came over his features as he sat down next to her. Taking in his cross-legged stance and the stubborn look on his face Kagome had to struggle not to laugh at him.

"I yelled out for you earlier," she admitted reluctantly, attempting to take the focus off of his gift. She watched a look of confusion pass over his face. "When you were sleeping," she clarified, "I yelled out for you."

"I didn't hear you," Inuyasha said, shrugging indifferently.

"You always hear me," Kagome whispered, slightly surprised.

"Keh, how the hell was I supposed to hear you?" he exclaimed. "You can barely talk!"

_Maybe changing the subject had been a bad idea?_ She thought with a sigh. _Why was he so defensive? He won't even look at me!_ She decided to let it go for the moment.

His veiled glances at the bowl had her rolling her eyes at his antics. Dipping her chopsticks into the ramen again, she wrapped a sufficient amount of noodles around them then extended them to the pouting hanyou with a smirk.

The look he shot her gave her the impression that he thought she was crazy.

_Okay, be stubborn._ Impaling a tasty shrimp on the end of the chopsticks, she offered it to him again with a knowing look.

The small growl only lasted a moment before he leaned over quickly and captured the mouthful between his lips.

Kagome smiled at the indignant look he was obviously forcing on his face. Quickly eating another bite, she nonchalantly made one for him then waited.

"I'm not a pup!" Inuyasha grumbled, but she couldn't help but notice the small flush that crept up his chest onto his face.

"I never called you a pup," Kagome answered quietly, struggling not to look at his not-so- "pup"-like chest that had taken on a pink tinge momentarily.

"You're trying to feed me like one!" Inuyasha declared, never taking his eyes off of the ramen as he spoke.

"If you don't want it," Kagome started snatching the chopsticks away.

"I didn't say that!" he declared, gobbling the mouthful before she could react.

_Kami, he's difficult!_ Kagome thought with a sigh. She hurriedly finished the ramen, attempting to avoid any other conflict.

The pronounced silence lingered in the air around them as she set the empty bowl aside.

"Where are we?" she finally asked quietly.

"The village of the demon slayers," he answered, stretching his arms over his head in an attempt to soothe his aching muscles.

Kagome willed her eyes not to follow his every movement and lost the battle. The girl couldn't locate an ounce of fat on the boy's lean body. _Is it because he's hanyou? Or is he like this in his human form too?_

She felt a twinge of shame for the direction her mind had taken, but her curiosity won out in the end. Her lingering gaze took in the tightly honed muscles that moved so effortlessly beneath his flawless skin. _Being youkai did have its advantages. No scars._

Every movement was executed with a kind of lazy grace she couldn't help but marvel at. His shimmering silver hair and honey colored eyes were probably the envy of women worldwide, but somehow the aura he managed to exude was purely masculine and she couldn't help but wonder if he effected all women this way. Or just her.

_Maybe I shouldn't look?_ Kagome thought as she felt her heartbeat accelerate. _I mean he's bound to catch me sooner or later and . . ._

"Wench, what the hell is wrong with you?" Inuyasha practically yelled in her ear as he pinned her with a confused look.

A blush as red as his haori colored her face.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at her flushed form. "You getting sick again?" he asked studying her ruddy complexion, slapping his hand to her forehead with a grimace.

"No!" she exclaimed pushing his hand away in an attempt to cover her embarrassment.

The quick look that crossed his face made her wince. _Great, I hurt his feelings!_

"Keh, well I couldn't tell," Inuyasha said snidely, "not with the way you look right now."

_The way I look?_

Eyeing his gaze, Kagome's fingers shot to her hair.

She let out a cry of pain as her bruised ribs made themselves known for a second time, but not before she felt the leaves and grass twined through her locks. _Oh Kami, I must look horrible!_

She'd secretly been appreciating the way the boy looked, while sitting there looking as if she'd been dragged through the woods. For once she was glad she did not have a mirror.

Snatching her book-bag that lay beside the futon and placing it in her lap into her lap, Kagome quickly rummaged around before her hand closed around what she was looking for. _First things first. _Yanking the brush from the bag with a flourish, Kagome attempted to run the brush through her disheveled hair.

Gritting her teeth against the pain, she watched as leaves tumbled from her tangled tresses. About six strokes later she stopped for a rest. _This was not going to work._

Her eyes lighted on Inuyasha, who was watching her with a smirk a few feet away. "Inuyasha," she whispered her voice pleading.

The hanyou read the question in her eyes and backed away as if frightened by the very idea.

"Please, Inuyasha!" she asked, not caring that she was begging and that he'd be sure to mention it later.

"Hell no!" Inuyasha growled scooting away from the brush as if it were somehow infected.

Releasing a heavy sigh, Kagome decided not to ask again. Lifting her arm with a groan, she completed three more tortuous strokes before the brush was wrenched from her fingertips.

He gave her a look that dared her to speak as he scooted behind her and ran the brush roughly through her hair. She flinched but didn't complain. He obviously realized his mistake on his own, because the next few strokes were softer.

She felt his claws sifting through her locks removing leaves, twigs, and a few things she pretended not to see. As the minutes passed Kagome felt herself being lulled into a state of numbness.

The rhythmic strokes of the brush began to feel magical after a while to her recently abused body. She felt her eyes drifting shut, but struggled to stay awake just to feel the heavenly sensation a few moments longer.

Leaning back into the brush, she felt Inuyasha jerk as her hair grazed his chest. The noise he made sounded suspiciously like a snicker, but he flopped down onto the futon before she could explore it any further.

Kagome smiled at the way he pretended to ignore her presence, eyes closed as if she was no longer worth his effort. Letting her hair fall over her shoulders, she admired the job he'd done. Her hair felt soft and shone in a way that it hadn't in weeks. She'd been neglecting it, she realized with a sigh. _It hasn't helped that I've been_ _unconscious for almost half of the time I've been back here._

Scooting next to the grumpy young man, she examined him more closely. _Had he fallen asleep?_ The stubborn look on his face gave him away. _Just being obnoxious,_ she concluded easily.

Her wandering gaze landed on his unique silver tresses. They easily reached his waist. _Had he ever cut his hair?_ Her eyes narrowed at the obvious tangles she spotted with distaste. _Or brushed it?!_

Knowing Inuyasha, she could already guess the answer to that question.

She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. _He did fight a lot. It could easily be due to that._

"Do you even comb your hair?" she asked as she reached out to untangle a particularly annoying knot.

The last thing she was prepared for was Inuyasha bolting away as if she had shocked him. The musculed chest she had just admired was heaving as though he was frantically trying to catch his breath. The momentary look of fear in his eyes was unnatural, and it made her heart race. _Why'd he react like that? It's not as if I've never touched his hair before._

Her paranoid mind got the best of her as she wracked her brain for an instance where she'd touched the hanyou's hair. When she'd first met him and he'd been pinned to the tree. _But we were being attacked. Should I count that?_

The only other time she could remember is when he'd been injured on the new moon. _But can I really count that either? He doesn't even remember half of things he said to me that night._

Kagome released a sigh as an embarrassed look crossed Inuyasha's face. He obviously realized how ridiculous he must look, because he flopped back down as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

His eyes strayed from hers as they always did when he was hiding something. The obvious warning in his gaze caused her to consider keeping her mouth shut on the issue.

_I've ignored enough of his secrets today, _she decided. "Inuyasha?" she prodded gently, urging him to answer her earlier question.

"I brush it when I feel like it!" he snapped, annoyed that she had chosen to continue the conversation.

"Do you ever feel like it?" she shot back, irritated by the tone he'd taken. The look he gave her as he absorbed her comment caused her to shudder.

_Whoa, if looks could kill!_ _I must be getting to him._

_This isn't getting me anywhere._ It was then she decided to switch tactics.

Her voice grew soft with what almost sounded like regret. "But it's so. . . pretty," she admitted, for a lack of a better term.

"Keh! It's just hair, wench," he muttered, but the earlier venom she'd heard in his voice had disappeared. Leaning back on his elbows lazily, he allowed a few strands of his silver hair to dance over her haori covered legs.

"You had a little knot in your hair," Kagome explained quietly.

Rolling his eyes at her concern, Inuyasha sighed as he let his head fall back slightly, hair creating a soft pile on her lap.

Her hand reached out hesitantly and grasped a few of the tangled strands between her nimble fingers. Working them apart carefully she watched his face for signs of irritation.

His amber eyes weren't looking at anything particular, but seemed unfocused as if he were deep in thought.

Since he didn't seem to be overly annoyed by her attention any longer, she risked reaching for another clump of tangles and waited. _Nothing_. Kagome eased those apart as well, careful not to tug harder than she needed as he seemed to be extra sensitive about it.

Starting on the next one she realized that she might need to brush them apart. _Would he mind?_ She separated a few strands between her fingers and laid them in the palm of her hand.

Brushing them gently, she held her breath when he tensed, but she saw his muscles relax as he resigned himself to her attention.

Dragging her eyes from his chest that somehow kept drawing her gaze, she turned her attention to the mass of silvery locks in front of her.

It only took a few minutes to pry the stubborn strands apart, and a few more after that to get them tangle-free. She didn't pause in her ministrations, though. The one time she'd attempted to lower the brush she couldn't help but notice how he'd leaned backwards a bit, as if he wished her to continue.

He was enjoying this, she realized with a small start of surprise. _Though he'd never admit it. Not that he needed to._ The small sigh that escaped his mouth a few moments before had been adequate proof. She didn't think he realized that he'd made the noise, as she knew the hanyou would never consciously make the sound.

Kagome continued the rhythmic motion until her battered ribs screamed in protest. This realization only caused her to switch the brush from her right hand to her left. The action was slightly awkward, but she adjusted quickly.

The dying firelight flickered over the pair, and Kagome couldn't help but reflect on the intimacy of the situation. _How many times had they rested like this?_ Alone together. Sometimes in contented silence. Other times the very air charged with the words they dare not say.

Her wandering mind reminded her of the decision she'd made earlier. She'd held her silence long enough. Hating to break the rare moment between them. But the truth gnawed at her.

She'd been determined this morning that she would no longer be a liability to the group. The events of this afternoon had done nothing but assure her that she'd made the right choice.

Now came the truly difficult part.

Explaining her revelations to the hot tempered hanyou in front of her.

The sigh she released did nothing to relieve her growing anxiety.

"Inuyasha," she started quietly. Kagome wasn't surprised when Inuyasha failed to reply. "Inuyasha?" she repeated as she waited for his curious amber eyes to light on her.

Positive she had his attention she continued her hastily thrown together speech. "I spoke to Kaede-sama today and. . ."

"Oi, Wench I know what this is about," Inuyasha interrupted quickly.

"You do?" Kagome asked, confusion showing clearly on her face.

"Look, I'll clean up the stupid field when I damn well feel like it," Inuyasha said with a weary sigh.

"Inuyasha I . . ."

"I smelled that son of a bitch!" Inuyasha growled, "I don't care what any of you say."

"Miroku didn't sense anything," Kagome pointed out with a sigh.

"The only thing Miroku senses is . . ."

Kagome's clamped her hand over his mouth with a giggle before he could utter another word. "Are you quite finished?" she asked letting her laughter escape.

His lips felt hot beneath her fingers and she had the unexplainable urge to run her fingertips across them. Startled by how often her thoughts were beginning to focus on Inuyasha as of late, she struggled to remember what had even prompted the conversation.

Meeting his mutinous eyes, she let out a sigh. "I wasn't talking about the field Inuyasha," Kagome blurted, "I asked Kaede to train me."

Not exactly the way I planned saying it, but it was straight to the point. He of all people should appreciate that.

He cocked a dark eyebrow in confusion as she released her hold on his face. "You're already a miko, woman," he said irritably, dismissing her previous statement.

"I've never been trained Inuyasha," she said forcefully, "and since I'm graduating soon I thought it would be a perfect time."

"A perfect time for what?"

_Kami, he's gonna make this hard isn't he. _"To be trained formally as a miko," she finished quickly.

Sitting up quickly as if afraid he hadn't heard her correctly, Inuyasha tried to ignore the sinking feeling that was slowly coming over him. "You mean be trained to exterminate demons?!" Inuyasha clarified.

"Well yes, but. .."

That was as far as she got.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Inuyasha yelled leaping to his feet in a fluid motion Kagome couldn't help but admire.

Even if she was slowly growing angrier with every word that came out of his insensitive mouth.

"You can barely handle making ramen for yourself!"

"I'm injured, you baka!" she defended in annoyance.

"Injured by a low level forest youkai," Inuyasha reminded her, "how the hell do you think you can handle anything else?"

"I've helped before," she reminded him impatiently, "stop acting as if I were helpless." Kagome's eyes followed the irate hanyou as he paced the floor in a pattern that only got more illogical as she watched. It was as if he was searching the very room for an answer that would satisfy her.

"So you can shoot a few arrows," Inuyasha spat, "that won't save you if you become a miko"

"Save me?"

"Yes, save you, you little idiot!" he said grabbing her shoulders, as if he wanted to shake some sense into her. "Miko's are targets!"

"Targeted by youkai?" Kagome scoffed, "I'm already a target because of the jewel."

"But they don't view you as a threat!" Inuyasha yelled, giving in to the urge to shake the irrational woman.

He regretted it almost immediately as he saw her pained wince. Releasing her quickly, he continued his tirade in a much quieter voice.

"You're just a girl to them."

He sighed as if he was explaining a fact that she should already know. "_I'm_ the reason they don't attack you. They do not fear _you_."

Kagome absorbed this information quietly, surprised by the serious tone of the usually immature boy. This information served only to strengthen her resolve.

"That's why I need to train!" she exclaimed.

"Train my ass!" he muttered, "You need to help get the jewels shards and that's it."

"What about after that?!" she exclaimed without thinking.

Turning her head away quickly, Kagome was astonished at her own stupidity. _I didn't just say that! I didn't!_

One glance at Inuyasha's shocked expression confirmed it.

Their feelings were an unspoken arrangement. _Keyword,_ _'unspoken,' baka!_ They never spoke of the future beyond the purification of the jewel. _Ever._ _Inuyasha had not reconciled his feelings of the past. How could I expect him to think about the future?_

Her hastily blurted words had insinuated that she planned on remaining in the feudal era.

_Is that what I really want? To stay here? With him?_

Kagome pushed her confusing thoughts aside. _It doesn't matter what I want if he doesn't want me to remain here._

The prolonged silence was slowly eating away at the girl's dwindling confidence.

His golden orbs were looking at everything in the dark hut besides her. She recognized the look immediately. _He's thinking of Kikyou._ The realization didn't bring the pain that normally accompanied that knowledge. _I brought this on myself._

A determined expression came over his ashen face as he finally met her gaze.

His direct gaze frightened her somehow. As though she could literally feel his rejection. _Oh, Kami he's going to hurt me!_ Moments after that irrational thought penetrated her brain, she scooted as far away as possible from him as the small hut would allow.

He didn't remark on her actions as a hardened look entered his eyes.

Inuyasha took a deep breath, gave her a rare wistful smile, and then proceeded to break her heart.

"They do not need mikos in your time," he explained simply, as he strode from the hut and into the night.

Miroku sighed up at the dismal night sky. Though the clouds covered most of the brilliant stars, Miroku somehow still felt at peace.

_It's this place,_ he realized. The demon slayers' village had always caused him to react this way. The comforting feeling had been with him from the moment he'd entered the village's ramshackle gates.

_Almost at the exact moment that look of regret had entered Sango's eyes._

The taijiya had been nearly silent since she'd been back. Miroku could not understand the way the girl's mind worked. It had been her idea to return, and yet when they had, she'd seemed as if the very air was choking the life from her.

She had disappeared shortly after arriving, and while Miroku was content on giving her some time alone, he was beginning to believe that she'd had more time alone than one person could ever need.

Rising from the ground with a lazy stretch, the monk went in search of the wayward taijiya. The loud clanging of metal captured his attention and steered him towards the weapon's shed.

A streak of motion to his left caught him off guard. _Inuyasha?_ The hanyou was moving at an insane speed towards the road they'd used to enter the village. Miroku nodded knowingly as he entered the dark hut in which Sango worked.

Remaining quietly by the door, he watched her heft the heavy Hiraikotsu from the flames and proceed to hammer at a small crack in the bone boomerang. The ease with which Sango handled the weapon always astonished Miroku. The thing was larger than she was, and had to weigh a staggering amount.

The girl had caught him gawking, he realized as the rhythmic clanging ceased. "Houshi-sama," she exclaimed in surprise, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

_That look is still in her eyes,_ he realized sadly.

"What are you doing awake?" she asked in confusion, as she set Hiraikotsu aside to cool.

"I was worried," he answered honestly, moving further into the hut to inspect his surroundings.

"Worried about me?" she asked laughing softly. "I don't need protection."

Miroku watched the hardened gleam enter her gaze as she proceeded to inspect the weapons lining the walls. _That was not the root of my worry._

He watched as she picked up each one, and placed it back in its proper spot with a sigh. "What are you doing?" he asked, her actions confusing him more with each passing moment.

"I'm looking for a weapon for Kagome," she said simply, "her bow was broken in the battle earlier." Miroku watched her pick up another bow, deem it unworthy, and settle it back in it's space.

"Sango," he urged gently, "isn't this a task that could be handled in the morning?"

The look she shot him made him regret that he'd even opened his mouth. _Apparently not._

Minutes later he watched the girl sigh in obvious defeat. "None of these suit her," she explained quietly. The array of weapons all looked the same to him. But he was not a trained warrior like the woman standing before him. If she said there was nothing here that Kagome could use, then there wasn't.

Miroku shot Sango a curious look as her hands reached slowly for a small short sword hanging above the line of bows. _Why would she look at that? Kagome does not know how to handle such a weapon._

The ornate sheath caught his attention. Designs of bright blue and silver crisscrossed its surface, giving it an almost delicate appearance.

_Delicate? That's an odd characteristic for a sword._ His curiosity soon got the best of him, as he watched Sango trace the deadly blade with her fingertips. "Who did that sword belong to?" he asked cautiously.

Sango smiled for the first time since she'd entered the fated village gates. Miroku couldn't help smiling as well as the joy in her face proved contagious.

"It was my mother's," she whispered quietly.

_Her mother's?_

That had been the last thing he'd expected her to say.

In all the time he'd known her, Sango had never referred to her mother. He knew of her ill-fated father and brother, but her mother had never been mentioned. Miroku realized why a moment later.

"This was her sword," Sango explained softly, "she could use it to defeat any youkai. Or at least I believed she could," she amended with a smile. Slipping the small gleaming sword back into its small sheath, she met his confused gaze. "First she defeated the village, then she defeated the youkai."

"Defeated the village?" Miroku asked his confusion rising.

"My father loved to tell me the story of the incredible woman who was one of the first women in centuries to become a taijiya in our village," Sango elaborated. "She took on the council who'd always said that she should know her place, and showed them that she could uphold the name of the village."

"Back then, our village's reputation was everything," Sango explained. "Extermination jobs were assigned to only the most worthy villages, and our village's survival depended on those assignments."

Miroku knew that the money from these jobs were what put food into the villagers' mouths.

"They didn't think she was good enough," Sango finished softly with a smile, "she proved them all wrong."

He felt a smile appear on his face at the pride he heard in the woman's voice. _No wonder she doesn't speak of her mother. It was her only untainted memory. It's the only memory that hasn't been infected by the hate she has for Naraku._

Miroku watched her place the sword reluctantly back on the shelf. "What did your mother name the sword?" he asked quickly, as he recognized the signs of her mental barrier falling back into place.

A look of regret played upon her face momentarily. "I don't know," she admitted quietly. "She always said that it didn't belong to her so she couldn't name it. She claimed she borrowed it."

"Borrowed it?" Miroku asked thoughtfully, "Borrowed it from whom?"

"She never said," Sango said quietly, returning to her Hiraikotsu, which was ready for another round in the fire.

Miroku was slightly confused by the determined look that had entered the taijiya's eyes as she'd held the sword.

The monk's waning attention was drawn to the woman's pert backside as she dropped Hiraikotsu back into the flames. His hand snaked out as if it had a mind of its own, stealing a lengthy stroke down Sango's rear.

Sango jerked the glowing weapon from the fire and turned towards him with a glare.

The flaming boomerang was nothing compared to the fire in her eyes.

_Not my smartest move,_ Miroku admitted as he ducked the smoldering weapon with a startled yelp.

_Why am I trembling?_

Inuyasha reflected on his shaking body, as he watched the sun creep over the horizon.

He hadn't returned to the village immediately after his journey. He'd chosen to recline in a tree on the outskirts of the village until daybreak.

_You're avoiding her,_ a voice that sounded suspiciously like his own accused him.

_I'm not! I just don't feel like dealing with her tears._ Inuyasha almost accepted this unsatisfactory answer, but he couldn't help the guilt that overwhelmed him.

He had basically told the girl that he wanted her to leave after they purified the jewel.

_Why not just talk to her? Tell her you didn't mean it, _the voice countered

_But I did mean it! Didn't I? Great, now I'm talking to myself!_

The boy struggled to understand his own increasingly confusing logic. _Do I even know what I want?_

_You don't want her to leave,_ the voice tossed out

_Maybe I do want her to leave._

_Who are you fooling? No you don't._

_Hey, wait a minute!_

_You don't and you know it! Admit it!_

_Damnit!_

_Admit it!_

_Fine, so I don't! Wait, I don't?_

As that revelation settled into Inuyasha's mind, he tried to make sense of this new development.

He couldn't just keep her here. The girl had a family in her own time. Besides, she was bound and determined to become the one thing that was guaranteed to keep them apart.

A miko.

_Did Kagome think he was a complete idiot? That he would make the same mistake twice?_

He could not care for another priestess. _Could not take the rejection and the loss of self that went along with it._

It was Kagome's own fault.

Her words echoed through his mind confirming his decision. _"I like you as a hanyou, Inuyasha."_ She had taught him to begin to accept himself for what he was.

He would not turn into a human for anyone. _Not anymore._

And a hanyou could not be with a miko. Kikyou had taught him that much.

He realized that he'd been selfish earlier when he'd declared her too weak to become a priestess. He hadn't wanted her to become something he would have to avoid, but she'd already chosen. It didn't matter to Inuyasha that she had no idea of the implications of her choice.

The hanyou leapt from the branches of the towering tree and landed nimbly on the ground. Slinging his gift over his shoulder he made his way back to the hut where he'd left Kagome.

Pushing the tatami mat aside, he wasn't surprised to find Sango, Shippou, Miroku, and Kirara sprawled around the room. People tended to flock to the girl's side. Lost souls looking for a little guidance.

She'd make a great miko, he realized with a sigh.

_Not that I'd ever tell the wench that!_

Tossing his burden to the side, he wasn't surprised that Sango was already awake. Her accusing glare had pinned him the moment he'd re-entered the hut.

_So Kagome had been crying,_ he realized guiltily The taijiya probably didn't know the reason for the girl's upset, but it was obvious that she blamed him for whatever it was. She was giving him the look she always gave him when she knew he'd talked to Kikyou.

_Kami,_ _that woman could be scary!_ _Good luck,_ _Miroku!_

He didn't avoid her gaze as he usually did when he was ashamed of himself. This action obviously surprised her, and the shock showed on her face.

He motioned to the snake youkai's carcass he'd tossed into the corner of the hut. "Make her something to protect herself," he requested quietly.

The snake youkai's scales were difficult to penetrate unless the weapon attacking it had considerable youki or purification energy. They were not as hard as a dragon's, but they would do.

The startled woman just nodded her head in agreement. She watched as the hanyou crossed the room, quietly stepping over the sleeping kitsune, and stopped in front of a sleeping Kagome.

Bending down beside her, he reached around his neck and removed the jewel shards he'd recovered.

"You found the shards!" Sango exclaimed with a loud gasp.

He tied the cord loosely around her slender neck. It wasn't much of an apology, but it was the best he could do.

Inuyasha walked to the entrance of the hut as quietly as he'd entered it.

_Her time might not need mikos,_ Inuyasha thought with a sigh, _but mine sure as hell does._

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the stormy blue eyes, that filled with tears as they absorbed the words that he couldn't say.

The West was a vast place.

The little girl was learning that lesson quite quickly. She'd covered an amazing distance in the short time she'd been traveling. But now the tiring journey was catching up to her.

Her already small strides were getting smaller and smaller, and the fear that she would be caught was growing stronger by the moment.

Her waning vision blurred before her as she gave into the overwhelming exhaustion. Collapsing into the grass where she stood, the girl valiantly tried to catch her breath.

_Sleep._ That rebellious thought kept entering her mind every time she decided to pause, even for a moment.

She tried to push herself off of the ground, but this time her body refused. There was only so much one could take. Even her. She felt her traitorous body giving in. _No!_ Her eyes fluttered shut of their own volition.

She had no idea how long she remained like that, too frightened to sleep, but too exhausted to stand.

The startling presence of a strong youki had the poor girl scrambling to her bruised feet. _Kami, it was enormous!_ The sheer presence of its power had her frozen in terror. She felt it flow over her sweat soaked skin, raising the hairs on her tiny arms.

She expected to feel its claws around her neck at any moment.

When nothing happened the girl braved a look at the amazing youkai that stood in the clearing, completely ignoring her presence. Her eyes widened in surprise and wonder.

_I'm saved!_ The girl's relief was a tangible thing as she used the last of her remaining energy to propel herself towards the clearing.

Towards the silver haired, one-armed youkai that looked so much like the hanyou of her dreams.

_Author's Note_

_I only added a little bit to these chapters because I pretty much liked them I just wanted to add a little heat to the fluff. Plus a little more detail to flesh out the characters. Hope it worked._

_I just wanted to take the time to thank everyone who has reviewed my fic. Your advice is greatly appreciated. Special thanks goes out to Sueric who gave me so many excellent tips on how to improve my fic that I don't even know where to start. I hope you guys enjoy the new format and the edited version. Hugs for Mmoirai, Inufan625, and RadioNmyhead! My Amazing Betas! And extra thanks to Ivloongoddess83 and Darknessfallsdragon. My Awesome illustrators!_

_ Blanket Disclaimer: Inuyasha's mine? Keh! I wish! I'm just borrowing em. _


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Seven  
Eye of the Beholder**

A warm breeze floated quietly over the sprawling field, carrying the delicate scent of cherry blossoms and rich earth to Shiori's sensitive nose. The girl's eyes closed in momentary bliss as the warm wind wrapped around her like a soft embrace. As if caressing her youki, dulling the heartache and trauma of hurtful days gone by.

She was snapped abruptly from her reverie as a second sensation crept slowly over her. _Danger?_ The foreboding feeling refused to dissipate as the wind picked up speed, whipping her silver strands into a small frenzy. Shiori stopped in her tracks, lavender eyes gazing warily at the youkai she had begun to approach.

The differences between Inuyasha and the youkai in the clearing, who still remained oblivious to her presence, practically shouted at her. They shared the same glorious silver mane and had similar facial features, but that was where the similarities came to an end. The familiar honey colored eyes which had initially drawn her from her hiding place now caused her breath to catch in her throat.

The passionate flaming amber orbs of the hanyou were nowhere to be found. They had been replaced with an impregnable shield of flawless ice. Perfect, dark, and unbelievably cold. _I haven't seen a flicker of emotion since he's been standing there._

Her body shook almost violently with the realization of the mistake she had almost made. _He will not help me._ Painful memories assaulted her as she recalled the urgent words of her mother.

_"Do not fear the villagers. They are nothing. Cowards that fear you and what they do not understand. But beware of the youkai! The narrow-minded emotionless monsters like your grandfather. They fear your existence as well, but unfortunately they do not fear you."_

Shiori remembered these words with growing apprehension as she stumbled backwards on trembling legs. Her fear rekindled, she fought the urge to flee blindly in the other direction. Her petrified gaze was completely focused on the dangerous youkai in front of her and she didn't notice the girl until she'd practically crashed into her.

Purple eyes widened even further as she stared at the small girl with the bundles of flowers clutched between her fingers. Shiori froze, shaking uncontrollably, her body weary from constant fear. Analyzing the potential threat, she warily watched the startled human.

Innocent hazel eyes wandered over her slowly. Taking in her long white hair, oddly colored eyes, and burnished copper skin.

_She would scream now._

They always screamed.

Shifting her weight nervously, Shiori prepared her keen hearing for the brittle noise.

Surprise was evident on her tired face when the girl rose silently from the ground, dusting the small brown smudges from her sunny kimono. "You should not do that," the girl mumbled quietly.

Shiori's eyes narrowed slightly in confusion and surprise at the soft comment. _Why doesn't she scream? Why is she so calm?_ She reflected on this quietly. The girl seemed surprised yet her voice remained soft. _Almost lyrical_. "I should not do what?" she finally answered, curious to see where the conversation would take her.

"Bother Sesshoumaru-sama when he's thinking," she answered simply, threading a fragrant flower into her hair as she talked.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Shiori asked her confusion growing.

The girl in front of her stopped moving completely, taking another long look at the hanyou before her, as if the concept of a creature being unfamiliar with her Lord was unthinkable. Coming to the conclusion that her new friend must not have heard her she merely repeated herself quietly. "Sesshoumaru-sama."

Shiori followed the girl's adoring gaze to the dangerous looking youkai. Unable to prevent the fear from overwhelming her Shiori continued her hasty retreat towards the woods. Ignoring the bright eyed girl's look of confusion she tried to decide her best avenue of escape.

The small hand on her ragged kimono halted her futile retreat. After a halfhearted attempt to pull away Shiori sighed in defeat. The concerned look the girl was shooting her did nothing to quell her doubts. Her fear was a tangible thing. It coursed through her like a drug, attempting to devour her where she stood.

Her trembling legs betrayed her, and she fell in an undignified heap at the girl's feet. Shiori warily watched the cheerful girl kneel and bring her eyes level with her own. Exhaustion finally caught up with the hanyou and she blinked reflexively as her vision blurred dangerously. She flinched in surprise as the girl prevented her aching body from sinking completely onto the ground with a steadying hand. _What the. . . She's touching me!_

Shiori barely had time to register that astounding fact as another one bombarded her sensitive senses. _This girl smells like the youkai!_ _That S. .Sesshoumaru!_ Unable to believe such a ludicrous suggestion she took another agonizing breath. _There was no doubt about it! She smelled like the terrifying youkai in the field! But how was that possible?_

She realized the girl was trying to talk to her and attempted to focus her hazy vision on the odd creature before her. It was a losing battle, and she felt herself slipping into the void that had been struggling to claim her for the past two days. But not before hearing the smiling girl's name. __

Rin.

And as Shiori sank into the enveloping darkness she realized what had frightened her most about the girl. _"Humans were cowards that fear what they did not understand."_

If that were so. .. . why did Rin not fear her?

_You are not ready._

The voice was little more than a whisper and Kagome could not deduce its origin. The complete darkness hampered her vision as the girl spun helplessly within its midst.

Grasping frantically for the quiver on her back she gasped in surprise as her hands encountered nothing. Confusion slowly melted into fear as the inky blackness seemed to grow infinitesimally darker. Kagome eyes struggled in vain to seek out a source of light. Even a sliver. _There was nothing. Not even a shadow._

Raising her hands to rub her shivering arms she blinked in surprise at the raised hair that covered her skin. _Fear._ She stamped it down instinctively while weighing her dwindling options. She could stand there as if nothing was wrong. Ignoring the voice that she had clearly heard a moment before. She could yell out for Inuyasha, hoping he would reach her before that thing in the dark did. Or she could do what her panicked mind was screaming at her not to do. She could talk to "it". __

Whatever the heck "it" was.

Quickly gathering her courage Kagome yelled into emptiness around her. "Hello?" __

Okay, not the most intimidating statement, but it works.

When she received no response she considered calling out again, but the familiar presence behind her distracted her momentarily. _Shippou-chan?_

She advanced carefully forward attempting not to step on the small kitsune should he be right in front of her. Reaching out blindly her confusion was etched on her features as her hands again closed upon nothing.

Kagome covered her ears in horror as a tortured scream split the silence. The bitter agony that laced every note caused her whole body to tremble. __

Oh Kami, what is that?!

The scream was never ending and no matter how she tried the sound somehow seeped between her fingertips. It permeated everything around her, momentarily distracting the miko from her search for the elusive fox demon. Tears slipped from beneath her eyelids as the horrific sound pulled at her heart. The sound finally tapered off into choking sobs and whispered apologies. Kagome removed shaking hands from her ears her eyes filling with renewed horror. _Miroku-sama?_

"Miroku?" she whispered in denial. "Miroku, is that you?"

The monk in question did not respond as his tearful pleas continued. "Miroku, where are you?" She could not tell where the noises were coming from. The entire room seemed to be made to confuse her. Sound bounced around and appeared to be coming from everywhere at once. Sango's delicate sobs could be heard moments before Kagome spun around in rising panic. __

Where's Shippou?

Her fear had caused her to miss an obvious problem. Shippou's youki, as small as it was, was waning. Diminishing slowly with every passing moment.

"Shippou-chan!"

Her only response was her own voice echoing back in her ears. _What's going on? Why won't he answer? Is he able to?_

His normally cheerful youki pulsed around her like a dying heartbeat. It almost seemed to cling to her aura as if sure that Kagome could save him. She reached out helplessly, using everything Kaede had taught her to try and sense his exact location. Kagome gasped in denial as she felt his youki slip away soundlessly.

"No." The word left her lips in a breathless whisper. _His youki's gone! Faded into the endless oblivion._

Denial was replaced with wrath as Kagome released a broken cry that eerily mirrored Miroku's. She could sense none of her friends anywhere.

"Give him back," she stammered quietly. When the kitsune did not appear she felt something break inside of her. "I know you're here," she warned, "I can sense you! Give him back. Give them all back! Now!" She growled in a voice that barely resembled her own.

"I cannot." A voice declared quietly.

Kagome jumped in response surprised that she'd received an answer. "What do you mean, you cannot give them back? You took them away," she spat.

"I did not," the voice corrected, "and it is not in my power to return them to you."

"What do you. . ." Kagome started.

"But it is in yours," the voice interrupted.

"Mine?" Kagome asked incredibly. "How is it in my power to find what I can't see?" She asked her frustration growing. "I don't have time for this!" Kagome shouted.

"You do not have time for those you love most?"

Kagome didn't even dignify that with a response and finally did what she had been aching to do since the beginning. "Inuyasha!!" she screamed desperately, expecting the hanyou to appear at any moment.

The sigh seemed to echo around Kagome, and her eyes narrowed at her enemy's apparent exasperation. "What have you done?" Kagome demanded.

"I've done nothing," the voice claimed sincerely, "as have you."

"This is supposed to be my fault?" Kagome snapped.

"No, it is not your fault," the voice intoned sadly, "though you will blame yourself."

Kagome barely had time to absorb this confusing comment before she felt her eyes began to shut of their own volition. The warm sensation that slowly floated over her felt familiar in a way she couldn't identify. Unwanted images passed before her straining gaze. __

A flash of blue so dark it almost seemed black. The sun reflecting off of metal. A blade? A sword! Eyes the color of the sea in a storm that stared longingly into her own. And laughter that sounded of bells surrounded her, shrouded in mist so she could not detect its origin. But somehow the sound alone drained away her anger, as though nothing else in the world mattered. Nothing else in the world. . . Nothing. . .

The fog of sleep did not lift slowly. Her dream fell away instantaneously as though she had stepped over the edge of a cliff and had suddenly fallen back into reality. Kagome's sweat soaked locks clung to her heaving frame as she desperately attempted to slow her breathing. The girl struggled to pry her trembling fingers from her chest, where she clutched the precious Shikon shards to her pounding heart.

Bracing her weight onto her shaking elbows Kagome shifted onto her side and her eyes widened in relief at the ball of warm tawny fur snuggling close to her side. She stroked Shippou's soft head lightly, careful not to wake the rambunctious kit.

Falling back on the futon Kagome ran a shaky hand through her slightly disheveled hair as she finally regained a semblance of control over her body. But her newfound control did nothing to stop her mind from racing.

Normally she could barely recall her dreams in the morning hours, but this was definitely not the case. Every image, smell, and sound bombarded her as though it had really happened but moments ago. She could almost hear her own voice screaming the small kitsune's name, a ghost of a sound echoing off the walls of the sturdy hut.

Her blinking gray eyes scanned the room taking in the familiar sight of a dozing Miroku and Sango and a lightly purring Kirara. She immediately noted the absence of one disgruntled hanyou, and her gaze flickered to the shadows to confirm he was not lurking there, pouting over their latest fight.

_Probably sulking in a tree somewhere._

The comforting scene usually lulled her back to sleep quickly, but Kagome could not ignore the staggering wave of homesickness that washed over her. The choked sob caught her by surprise and she covered her mouth in an effort to muffle the sound. _What's wrong with me?_

The question lingered in her mind as her eyes burned with unshed tears. Suddenly she missed the cozy shrine 500 years away, and she could no longer repress the urge she'd been feeling for the past few days. _I want to go home_.

The traitorous thought could not be suppressed when she had acknowledged it. She could no longer mask her sadness with a wide smile and a sarcastic joke. Her vow to become a miko was not forgotten, but she refused to deny herself the small reprieve. Training with Kaede would require a huge amount of spiritual control and she would not be able to concentrate if she was preoccupied with wishing she were somewhere else, she justified.

Kagome wiped her tear stained face with determined fingers and rolled away from the comfort of the warm futon. Removing Inuyasha's haori, Kagome spotted her huge yellow knapsack haphazardly tossed in the far corner. Moving silently around her sleeping friends she snagged the strap and hefted the massive bag over her shoulder.

The miko grit her teeth to hold in a curse as her body reminded her of her recent injuries. _Kami this thing is huge!_ Kagome rolled her eyes relieved that at least Inuyasha was not present to rub in the fact that he'd warned her about "packing the entire 21st century" into her bag.

Dropping the heavy sack back onto the floor with a groan Kagome rummaged through the pack of necessities searching for something suitable to wear. Her hands closed around the traditional Shinto priestess garb Kaede had given her long ago. She hesitated rubbing the fabric between her fingers gently. Kagome thoughtfully considered the wisdom in wearing the one thing that was guaranteed to put Inuyasha in a horrible mood.

_He'll already be angry enough when he realizes I'm gone._

But her usual uniform was out of the question as it had been destroyed between the coils of an irritating snake youkai. She shuddered at the memory, and pulled on the slightly uncomfortable outfit.

Wrapping herself in the unfamiliar garb, she slightly expected to feel a sense of peace after her declaration to dedicate her life to becoming a priestess. The only emotion she encountered was lingering nervousness and a slight twinge of guilt at what she knew would be Inuyasha's reaction when he saw her. _He won't see me for a while anyway,_ she justified, deciding to leave her troublesome knapsack for the time being.

A small distraught whimper reached her ears and Kagome turned to find a frightened kitsune squirming restlessly in her blankets. Padding across the floor quietly she gently enfolded him within her arms, cradling his shaking form against her bosom, blanketing him in her scent.

Recalling her earlier nightmare Kagome brought the child even closer, smiling softly as he whispered her name in the small whine that she secretly adored, ceasing his erratic movements.

Careful not to wake the others she deposited Shippou near Kirara's side, and watched as his russet colored tail disappeared beneath Kirara's soft fur.

Taking one last look at the sleeping kit, she lifted the tatami mat. . . and let out a long suffering sigh at the soft mew that echoed behind her.

_If I don't leave now I won't make it to the well before Inuyasha catches me._

She turned quickly acknowledging Kirara's concerned gaze and mouthed the one word guaranteed to insure her escape.

"Tuna?" she offered desperately hands clenching the wooden frame impatiently.

Kagome's breath expelled in relief as the neko youkai's eyes closed in silent acceptance. _Finally!_

Freedom so close she could already taste her mother's cooking she smiled widely and stepped into the cool night.

"Where the hell do you think you're going wench?"

The clawed hand that fisted in the front of her kimono forced an outraged squeak from her lips. Robed legs swinging wildly Kagome inwardly groaned as she was hauled roughly up the side of the structure, and directly into the arms of an incensed hanyou.

_She'd been running away!_

The unbelievable thought brought a growl to his throat which Inuyasha forcefully suppressed to a low rumble. His grip tightened on her shoulders as he awaited an answer to his grumbled question.

The silence hung in the air, thick and stifling. His amber eyes watched as the girl fingered the jewel shards at her neck and had to resist the urge to wrap his fingers around it. _Kami, she was stubborn!_

Kagome's eyes flickered away guiltily and would not meet his probing gaze.

"Answer me!" he demanded gruffly realizing his order had registered when her gaze grew hard in indignation. His sensitive hearing honed in on the miko's rapid heartbeat and labored breathing. _Was she frightened?_

"Home!" she declared, blue eyes flashing in defiance, practically daring the boy to contradict her.

_Apparently not,_ he thought wryly.

_Home?_ The single word ignited an anger that was completely unexpected. _She was leaving? Abandoning us?_

"The hell you are!" he snapped yanking her forward to make sure she understood. "You're not going anywhere!"

His traitorous heart pounded furiously against his ribs at her words. _I did this. I told her she wasn't needed._ His eyes narrowed on the determined girl. _But when had Kagome ever done a damn thing he'd told her to do?_ Even now she pulled against his hold, though he had no clue how the girl planned to escape from the rooftop once she gained her freedom.

Inuyasha finally took in her struggling form, anger draining suddenly as his body reacted to her squirming movements against him. _What the hell?_ Her wiggling antics had started a chain reaction within him that was as surprising as it was potent.

"Stop it!" He growled more so for his own benefit than the miko attempting to free herself from his clutches. The command only strengthened her struggles as Kagome bucked against his loosening hold.

All the blood within him seemed to rush to his startled face, and he released the contrary girl in growing embarrassment. Kagome's mouth released a surprised squeal as her footing slipped dangerously and she teetered precariously close to the roof's edge.

Grabbing her flailing hand in his clawed one he yanked her to safety with an annoyed sigh. His charcoal colored brows rose in surprise as her shaking hands snaked tightly around his waist in an unforgiving grip. _When will the wench make up her mind? A moment ago she'd looked as if she'd enjoy nothing more than shoving me from the rooftop._

The small puffs of air caused by her labored breathing felt strange against his skin, and Inuyasha chose to remain perfectly still not sure if the girl was frightened or furious.

"If we weren't 20 feet up in the air you'd be tasting dirt right now," she confided allowing her fingertips to pointedly graze the necklace at his throat.

_Furious then._

"Oi! Wench you're the one who wanted me to let you go!"

He felt her fingers clench his haori in an attempt to calm herself before inhaling deeply. _She was mumbling again._ Something about how he never did anything she wanted anyway, before her heartfelt stormy blue eyes captured his attention. The muffled sniffle was completely unexpected and Inuyasha eyes widened in legitimate fear as he realized the exasperating girl was on the verge of crying.

_The girl's moods change faster than I can draw Tetsusaiga!_

Nostrils flaring in rebellion the hanyou attempted to ignore the smell of salt in the air that always signaled when Kagome was moments from her limit. _Had the earlier comment really done so much?_ The proof was in his arms. The miko trembled from a torrent of emotions ranging from depression to fury, subjecting him to whichever had overtaken her at the moment.

The lingering rays of moonlight played havoc with the hanyou's senses as they danced across the miko's gentle features. _Was Kagome miserable? Do I make her miserable?_ Inuyasha attempted to tell himself that that wasn't the case. That Kagome was just having one of her outbursts. The ones humans tended to have that he could never understand.

_Home huh?_ He thought. Inuyasha shoved aside the pesky emotions that had begun to emerge without his permission. _But she promised,_ his desperate mind interrupted.

He winced at the Shippou-like whine his mind resembled. Refusing to use guilt to persuade the miko to stay he folded his arms in his trademark "I could care less" position across his chest.

_"I'll always remain by your side, Inuyasha."_

The words had taken on a mocking tone, taunting him at his own gullibility. He had never trusted another soul until he had met the irritating young woman before him. The fact that she too had failed him was difficult for his mind to grasp.

_Promises meant nothing._

He'd learned that fact long ago, but somehow in the last few years that learned truth had been lost within the camaraderie that had formed in the small group.

He had allowed himself to forget.

He had allowed himself to feel. . .

Inuyasha could feel Kagome's anger waning, as it had a tendency to do when she detected an emotion besides stubborn anger on his face. He would not deal with this. He could not decide this for her. Though earlier in a bout of illogical panic he'd tried to do just that.

Allowing his brooding gaze to drift over her shoulder and into the darkness, he resisted the long ingrained urge to put his feelings before anyone else's. Coming to the conclusion that this was for the best Inuyasha embraced the emptiness that was threatening to overcome him.

"What do **you** want?" He winced at the desperation that laced his tone, hoping that the sensitive girl would not detect it caught up in her own myriad of emotions.

Her voice was hoarse from her earlier tears as she futilely searched his face, attempting to draw the gaze that he refused to let light upon her. "I want to go home," she admitted quietly, thoroughly shattering the hope that he had allowed to bloom within him.

He wished to ask her a slew of questions. Each vibrated through his mind, seeking escape, but was restrained by the hanyou's stubborn will. All except one. One lone question was threatening his ability to see clearly. One was on the tip of his non-responsive tongue. _What would he. . . they do without her?_

But that was not an issue. It was no longer the miko's problem.

"Fine," he grunted accepting the inevitable, yanking the girl roughly forward and depositing her on his back. Surprise etched itself on her face at his swift acceptance, but the brief glimpse of the look on his face ceased her response.

Taking a deep breath to clear his senses he unconsciously memorized the unique scent of Kagome, as he refused to acknowledge his stinging eyes. the hanyou pulled Kagome's legs tightly around him, startling her with his closeness. But he ignored her gasp as he would not have to worry about the consequences of such an action anyway.

Inuyasha felt the girl relax against his back, as she gently lifted his hair out of the way before twining her arms securely around his neck. Resting her dark head on his shoulder she attempted to meet his amber gaze. His golden orbs met her blue ones as he leapt from the rooftop with an audible flutter.

The sleeves of kimono and haori caught the night breeze and flared around them. Her fearless eyes remained glued to his face, and he had the unexplainable urge to touch her slightly parted lips with his own.

He was seconds away from surrender, his clawed feet lighting gently on the ground when she spoke.

"Come back with me."

He stumbled noticeably, his knees buckling beneath the weight of her whispered question. "W. . .What?" he muttered, mouth dry in disbelief. _She wanted him to come with her? To her time? Was she crazy?!_

The ramifications shouted at him as a brisk wind blew past and the girl on his back shivered. the movement sent bolts of unexpected heat coursing through him. _Am I crazy?_ He couldn't believe he was actually considering it!

The light flutter of her fingers tucking his wayward silver locks behind his shoulder surprised him. _Wench is getting way too comfortable with my hair,_ he mused with a smirk, but did not jerk away.

"Why the big decision?" Kagome asked, eyes widened with confusion.

_Was she kidding?_ Though she'd spoken in a normal tone of voice Kagome's words sounded softer to his ears.

"We could come back in the morning," she allowed, though she had secretly yearned for a longer stay.

_Come back in the morning. . ._

The words did not sink in at first, and Inuyasha had not noticed that his breathing had escalated to an ironic dog-like pant until Kagome poked him not so delicately in the ribs.

_The morning . . . ._

She wanted to return in the morning. She didn't mean to leave! Not permanently anyway.

The knowledge flowed through him like the power of a Shikon jewel shard. Charging every part of him with the glorious realization, until a surprised laugh bubbled from his lips.

"Inuyasha?"

"I'll take you home, Kagome," he announced, allowing his hand to tentatively tilt her head towards his. He didn't stop until the petal soft skin of her cheek touched his in a rare display of affection.

Inuyasha suppressed his willingness to do more as the urge to share his embarrassing relief threatened to come forth. He was astonished when his paranoid mind whispered that he could express himself. _Just this once._

And so he did.

"Fool!" Naraku declared, his intense gaze riveted on the all to familiar scene unfolding in front of him. He saw more than just the pathetic dog hanyou and his ally reflected in the fogged glass, but a potential repeat of the dismal fate that had occurred years before.

A self-satisfying smirk broke his features as the images faded from the mirror's surface. Meeting Kanna's blank gaze he briefly questioned his incarnation about her previous mission. "Is this all you captured that is of significance?"

Her pale face did not react to his question and the long silence became answer enough for him. _She's always thorough._ "Did the detestable creature sense you?" Naraku had been slightly worried that the hanyou's irritating ability to smell anything within in a few miles radius would become a problem.

"He sensed my presence, but was not able to locate me," the whispered monotone reassured him, as the image of the disgruntled demon caused his smile to widen.

The resulting plan did not form slowly in his mind, though its implication would be complex. _I must go about this slowly. Any signs of impatience would ruin the elaborate scheme. First things first. Any interference must be kept to a minimum._ Which meant no loose ends. And there was one particularly irrational loose end currently fleeing from him upon the winds of Musashi.

Determined eyes considered the fragile beating heart contained in a small ceramic jar in the dark corner. The shadows crept slowly over his clearly indecisive face. He had never made an impulsive decision in his life, and would not begin now.

The wind witch had never returned after her latest betrayal, though he knew she was conscious of the fact that he could end her miserable life whenever he chose, no matter how fast she flew. _So why did she not return and accept her fate? Stubborn bitch!_

Naraku considered his least loyal incarnation for a long moment. He'd neglected to consider the woman's numerous other traits. Beautiful, conniving, and downright deadly when threatened. He was hesitant to let these rare qualities go to waste.

Kagura had not returned because she had weighed her options and decided that dying alone in flight from him was much better than the alternative. Returning to him and whatever memorable death he had planned. It was her only act of freedom. _And he refused to let her have it._

She would serve until the very end. _Unknowingly of course._ It amused him to know how easily he could manipulate those around him. The woman wished to choose her own death. _A quick squeeze of her traitorous youkai heart._

Naraku had something slightly more brutal in mind. Something Kagura would rebel against until her dying breath. A vision of torture so terrifying that the woman would bargain away what was left of her soul to stop it. _Or at least reveal the wealth of secrets he was sure she kept, and he refused to allow her to take to the grave._

"Hakudoushi," Naraku summoned, smiling knowingly as the boy appeared before him, youki pulsing excitedly at the bloodshed to come.

"Have fun," he whispered, laughing aloud as the youkai disappeared with a blinding flash in his haste to track down his "entertainment".

_Au thor's Notes_

_Sorry for the huge pause in writing. Life was. . . well kicking my ass to be honest. If you want the specifics check out my past journals on my deviant art account. If not then just enjoy the ride, cause I'm back (finally). With more than enough time to devote to writing now!_

Blanket Disclaimer: Inuyasha's mine? Keh! I wish! I'm just borrowing em. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Eight**

**Homeless**

The leap into the Bone Eaters well filled Kagome with relief and a sense of loss simultaneously. Her fingers still trembled, clutched within Inuyasha's clawed hand as the array of magnificent colors embraced her. The portal between eras blew a soft wind over her heated cheeks, and the hanyou's uncharacteristic silence urged her to forget the events of the last few moments.

Common sense sought to attribute the breathless feeling to the mayhem of the last few weeks, but the delicate fluttering seemed to be caused by flaming amber eyes and not her ever hectic life. Her rebellious mind could not help but replay the moments before coming home. . . .

_What's wrong with him?_

Kagome considered waving her hand in front of Inuyasha's obviously confused face, but decided against it as she remembered his irritated response the last time she'd tried that. If he didn't respond soon though she'd be forced to gain his attention and risk the tantrum. _I wonder what he'd do if I flicked his ear?_

She was utterly confused by his response. Normally the hanyou only had a few settings. Pissed, impatient, or endearingly arrogant. Most of the other emotions he exuded were usually some extension of the primary three.

Initially her request to return to her century had seemed to annoy Inuyasha more than usual. He had almost looked. . . _hurt?_

But that didn't make sense.

She couldn't begin to understand how her request could hurt him. Usually the hanyou denied, yelled, then pouted when she informed him that she needed to return. But this time he'd looked shattered. It had shown briefly on his features, but it had felt like an eternity to Kagome.

So she'd invited him home with her.

Even though she suspected he'd probably distract her to the point where she'd accomplish absolutely nothing. But the way he'd looked at her had made the impulsive offer worth it. She had to smother a smile at his uncommon reaction. His entire face had lit up beneath the moonlight, and she had had to struggle not to gasp at the impact it had on her.

Strong arms pulled her even tighter to him before he leapt deeper into the night. His unusually close hold of her caused a rush of blood to her cheeks that she was thankful he could not see. _Does he normally hold me like this?_

Clawed fingers gripped her clinging thighs as they always did, but she had never noticed the heat of his hands before. Even now they seemed to sear her through the fabric of her hakama. Her heartbeat accelerated even before he took his first step.

The journey that followed Kagome could only describe as magnificent. Her quiet companion raced so fast over the forest floor that the surrounding trees passed before her eyes in a dark green blur. She was positive that Inuyasha had never traveled this fast before with her in tow, but she said nothing as her entire concentration was needed to stay aloft.

A flicker of fear assaulted her but was astonishingly replaced by pure exhilaration. The beginnings of a smile on her face surprised even her and Inuyasha's upward leap into the extending branches elicited a poorly suppressed giggle.

The smirk Inuyasha threw her over his shoulder caused the giggle to bloom into a full blown laugh. _He's doing this on purpose!_

Breathless with the wonder inspired by the rushing wind and his tightening hold she realized the sensation was slightly intoxicating. She gripped him closer with an audible sigh, smiling at the silvery strands she upset in the process.

The arrogant boy seemed to be enjoying her obvious reaction. He proved her observation a moment later as he crouched and leapt through the air again at a dizzying speed. Kagome clamped her mouth shut to prevent the undignified squeal that was threatening release from escaping. _Here we go again!_

The sensation was mind-blowing. A slight tensing of his muscles was her only warning before his clawed feet contacted bark or earth then shoved off so effortlessly that she thought she'd imagined the feeling.

As he covered the distance at an unimaginable speed the risks he took seemed to increase with every leap. Kagome noticed a particularly low branch whizzing overhead setting her mane of loose hair fluttering dangerously. The near miss caused her heart to lurch and her hands to dig into Inuyasha's cream kimono for a sturdier hold.

Warm skin rumbled lightly beneath her fingertips and she realized that he was chuckling. Rare as the sound was she couldn't mount the effort to be overly upset with the fact that he was laughing at her. Even when he took his eyes off of the dizzying terrain to mock her legendary temper didn't ignite.

"Too much for you wench?"

Color flooded her cheeks momentarily at the obvious challenge, and she struggled not to notice that Inuyasha was now looking into her eyes instead of the trees that were coming closer at an insane speed. The mischievous twinkle in his eye caught her off guard and she sought to throw him as off balance as he was making her. Leaning forward so her lips almost brushed the sensitive skin of his ears she issued a challenge of her own.

"Faster."

Her voice had come out breathless even to her own ears, and she could have sworn she felt a shiver course down his entire frame before he reluctantly returned his eyes to the forest. The increase in speed was so dramatic that Kagome wasn't entirely prepared for it. Bruised ribs ached in protest beneath her kimono as her legs clenched mercilessly around the hanyou's waist. The snap of billowing clothing and hair reached the miko's ears as they rapidly changed directions. Now,the sensation of heading the upwards was added to the blur of the blinding line towards the well.

Inuyasha propelled himself off of the large branches and Kagome strangled on a gasp as the smaller ones narrowly missed the generous folds of her hakama. Inwardly preparing herself she felt his muscles bunch reflexively as he bent lower than usual then launched them through the covering foliage and into the night sky.

_Oh._

My.

God.

The gentle light of the stars embraced her as Inuyasha sent them soaring for what felt like a lifetime. The beauty of the moment shocked her into laughing outright. She brought her trembling fingers to her lips to stifle the noise as the sound seemed to almost intrude upon the peacefulness of the experience.

The miko fearlessly spread her arms wide in an insane attempt to capture the gift Inuyasha had given her. The brisk night wind captured their hair streaming out behind them, merging it momentarily into a mesmerizing tangle of silver and black. Floating as if weightless upon the night air Kagome felt her earlier weariness melt away. Absolute freedom was rare, but the moment seemed to capture it perfectly, so she allowed the pure feeling to overwhelm her briefly.

_My world._ The words drifted through her mind like a prayer, eliciting a unique moment of complete understanding.

The descent came too soon for Kagome, but was just as amazing. Her screech of panic as they seemed to plummet from the heavens caused a smile to grace Inuyasha's face. The awestruck girl almost missed the rest of the fall, so caught up in his expression.

_His world._

He was attempting to show her the world through his eyes. Inuyasha was actually willingly sharing a part of himself with her, she realized with a bit of shock.

The smile was long gone, but remained imprinted in Kagome's mind. The inu-hanyou smirked often, but rarely smiled. _Not smiles that ever reached his eyes._ But this one had even invaded his normally haunted amber orbs, causing her to pause and her pulse to quicken. She was so distracted that she had even forgotten the huge amount of space they had left to fall, until she glanced downwards and the bottom dropped out of her stomach.

The ground seemed to rise up at them at twice the speed they had leapt away from it. It could have had something to do with the rigid streamlined way Inuyasha positioned his body and the wicked look that entered his eyes. _Show off._

Her arms instinctively reclaimed their hold around his neck as she pressed herself as close as possible into his back in something akin to fear, but wasn't quite. The branches flew by in a blur so fast that Kagome barely had time to realize that they were nearing the ground, before he had landed nimbly and taken off again through the brush.

The forest seemed to part before them as they raced from the safety of the trees into the familiar field containing her portal home. Inuyasha finally skidded to a stop in a flurry of dust, streaming hair, and clinging leaves.

Kagome wasn't sure how long they stood that way, before she realized that he was waiting for her to get off of his back. She found herself reluctant to dismount. The familiar heat beneath her was comforting. _Even when running at breakneck speeds, she realized wryly._

"You dead, Kagome?" Inuyasha threw the question at her, and she had the distinct impressionthat he was biting back laughter.

"You wish," Kagome retorted, fighting off the smile that crossed her face at his poorly veiled snort.

_He has the nerve to not even be winded._ The trek had been a normal run for him, she realized with a small bit of shock. Deciding to climb down before Inuyasha dumped her on the ground, she gave her numb legs an experimental wiggle. The hanyou beneath her stiffened noticeably, and when she attempted to unclench her thighs she began to suspect that Inuyasha was beginning to consider dislodging her the good old fashioned way.

He proved her thoughts correct with his next clipped statement. "Get it done already."

His breathing had finally become labored, she vaguely noticed, wondering what she was doing now that the full out sprint through the woods hadn't accomplished. Her dismount was poorly timed and awkward, her numbed senses not quite ready to perform on their own. To her horror her legs crumpled helplessly as they encountered the ground, and it was only Inuyasha's arms that stopped her undignified descent.

"What's with you and not being able to stand up straight?" Inuyasha asked with a smirk.

Kagome rolled her eyes at the reference. _At least he didn't grab my ribs this time._

The intimate hold he had on her waist didn't register until the arrogant smirk had fallen away from his face. He suddenly seemed to become preoccupied with his surroundings, his eyes flickering to the forest around them as though there was something of dire interest that she could not see.

She had been prepared for this reaction, and was not completely surprised at his hesitance. The hanyou wasn't exactly the most open about his feelings. _Any of his feelings._ Which was why she was shocked when his fidgeting visibly ceased and he focused that animal-like gaze directly upon her.

A foreign heat ignited deep within her body and seemed to spread over her skin slowly, following the path his eyes had taken. The simple stare was doing odd things to her body. She had never seen such raw emotion being directed at her. Though it was difficult to pinpoint which emotion it was exactly.

Injuries forgotten Kagome wondered what she should do. Should she risk breaking the fragile silence? _To say what? Thank you?_ He'd obviously tried to give her something tonight. He'd shown her a part of himself that others rarely got to see. _Make that, "never got to see."_ And now he was standing here, his gaze hot enough to melt through his own fire rat haori.

Afraid to move, afraid to breathe, Kagome stood stock still completely aware of the young man's hands on her. All logical thought faded. Her lungs filled quickly with a sharp intake of breath as she felt Inuyasha's grip tighten marginally in the waistband of her hakama, and draw her forward silently.

He paused when she was only inches from his heaving form.

Kagome's breath expended in a rush, catching a few stray tendrils , as she felt the look he had given her all the way to her toes. _The look he was continuing to give her._

The miko wracked what was left of her quickly melting brain for a single rational thought. Her gasp was instinctual as Inuyasha fisted his hands in her clothing in preparation to pull the girl into his embrace. Heart beating madly, Kagome could feel his muscles tensing and almost allowed her eyes to flutter shut in silent acceptance.

Until his motion suddenly stilled.

Her entire being felt more than saw the precise moment Inuyasha realized exactly what he was holding. _Oh crap._

He released the Shinto priestess garb as though it had burned him, stumbling backwards as unwanted reality crashed down upon them. Her entire body literally groaned in disappointment as the novel heat stopped abruptly and the young man before her seemed to reluctantly regain his senses.

_Crap. Crap. Crap._ Kagome couldn't help but feel as though she'd brought his rejection upon herself. She'd known the effect the clothing had on Inuyasha. _A not so subtle reminder of his past mistakes, and his current obligations._ Guilt was written clearly on his face. She could not tell if it was aimed at her, himself, or the priestess she so obviously reminded him of.

Kagome's first instinct was to flee from him and the hopeless look he was giving her, but an image of them literally flying through the forest gave her pause. True the all to familiar look he was giving her now caused her heart to ache, but the look he had given her earlier had been breathtaking. _Albeit completely unexpected. It was almost worth these painful gazes to get a chance to experience something like this night again._

Kagome attempted to blink back the tears that were mysteriously absent, and took a long look at the man she had come to care for. Inuyasha's quick comebacks and cocky smirk no longer fooled her.

_His eyes always give him away._

While Inuyasha wasn't exactly known for showing an emotion besides anger or irritation, his eyes always told another story. And beneath the moonlit sky for one elusive moment the hanyou had his heart in his eyes. And it nearly broke Kagome's.

_Inuyasha was lonely._

Utterly, completely, heart wrenchingly lonely.

Every temper tantrum, crude comment, and reckless swing of his sword had been made to hide this fact.

Kagome fought the impulse to reach out and comfort him, knowing he would reject it as just another sign of weakness. All she could do was watch helplessly as the previous warm tingling sensation mingled with her uncontrollable urge to comfort and protect. She was utterly terrified when she realized the new all-consuming emotion had a name. But she refused to acknowledge it.

She'd made enough life altering discoveries for one night.

"We should have come in the morning."

"Oi! You were the one who just had to come tonight."

"Shhh you baka, before you wake up the entire house!"

Kagome led the way across the dew covered grass, shooting Inuyasha a glare over her shoulder when he let the well house door shut with a slam. The hanyou shrugged to demonstrate just how much he valued her desire to remain undetected and made his way over to the back door with an impatient huff.

Kagome took a step towards him and paused, eyes widening in dawning horror. _The keys._ The keys were in the knapsack.

And the knapsack was sitting in a cozy hut in the feudal era.

Amber eyes narrowed on her embarrassed face, and knew he wasn't going to like the words that came out of her mouth.

"Inuyasha," she started hesitantly.

"What the hell did you do?" he growled out, recognizing her unusually submissive tone.

_Well there goes subtlety,_ she thought wryly. "I think I forgot the keys."

"You think?" Inuyasha asked, an eyebrow raised for confirmation.

"Okay, I know I forgot them," Kagome admitted. She shifted uncomfortably when silence greeted her. "Inuyasha," she hedged, "did you hear what I said?"

"Of course I heard you woman, you said you forgot the keys." Kagome blinked in mild surprise. _He's taking this rather well._

"What do these 'keys' have to do with going into the house, anyways?" _Damn._

"Um. . . we can't get into the house without them."

This silence was more volatile as she could almost see Inuyasha piece together their situation in his mind. "So you're telling me I just came one hundred miles and five hundred years for nothing?"

"Not exactly." Kagome said plastering a smile on her face for effect.

"Save it for Miroku wench," Inuyasha ordered, pointing an accusing finger at her dimpled smile.

Smile fading faster than it had appeared the miko had fire in her eyes as she threatened him. "I swear if you start in yelling, I'm going to sit you all the way back to the Sengoku Jidai"

Unfazed by her words Inuyasha just cocked a dark eyebrow at her heated comment. "Should I grab the keys while I'm there?"

"Ass."

The word slipped out before she could stop it, her hands fluttering to her lips in disbelief. She never said stuff like that. _At least not out loud._ She shot Inuyasha a withering glare. The foul mouthed male had obviously corrupted her vocabulary. The hanyou in question didn't look the least bit offended. In fact she thought he looked in danger of choking on his own laughter.

"If you breathe one word to Shippou, Sango or Miroku. . ." she growled, obviously not learning her lesson from threatening him the first time.

Rolling his amber eyes in annoyance, he motioned the quietly ranting girl to one of the low windows adjacent to the door. Thinking that the miko might frown upon him shattering the glass as was his first instinct to do, he cupped his hands in front of him in reluctant invitation. Kagome stepped nimbly into his grasp, waiting for him to shift her weight upwards.

His muscles shifted subtly and Kagome found herself level with her goal. Deft fingers pried determinedly at the window sill for a few moments. The girl's sharp gasp had Inuyasha's eyes widening and his hands tightening protectively.

"What?" he asked, attempting to hide his growing worry.

She squinted at him over her shoulder attempting to give him her most intimidating look, but her beseeching gaze and windblown hair ruined the effect. "Don't you dare tell my mother, she ordered.

_Tell her mother?_ His lost look must have registered, because she continued.

"About what I said. . ."

_This woman will be the death of me._ "Oh you mean the fact that she raised a miko with a mouth like a . . . "

Kagome shifted her weight, bearing down on the hanyou unmercifully.

"Yeah yeah, wench, I got it, I ain't gonna say anything." _Though it was sounding more and more tempting just to see the look on the hot tempered girl's face._ Inuyasha resisted the thought as he heard the tell tale squeak of Kagome lifting the window. Wiggling upwards in a way that attracted Inuyasha's gaze in a way he refused to admit, Kagome lifted her body through the opening.

The crash that followed had the hanyou rolling his eyes in disbelief and leaping in after her. _How much trouble could the girl get into?_

He discovered his answer as his eyes attempted to adjust to the dark room. _Apparently plenty. Leave it to Kagome to land on the one breakable object within range._ The miko in question currently sat on the floor with a dumbfounded look on her face, covered in what was left of the small statue she had toppled.

Kagome groaned loudly. Inuyasha's brows knit with concern. He hadn't thought the girl was hurt. Sniffing the air again to be sure he confirmed his suspicions. _No blood. Then what was she whining about?_ Kagome picked up a fragment of the broken object, examined it, and groaned even louder.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Inuyasha asked, positive that the only thing injured from her fall were her sore ribs and her pride.

"Jii-chan's. . . . thing," Kagome groaned in explanation.

"Thing?" Inuyasha asked, not sure what it was she meant.

"I'm not sure what it was," Kagome admitted. She hadn't exactly been paying attention when he'd been rattling on about the virtues of his latest useless ancient artifact. "But it's old, and important to him. He's gonna kill me."

Kagome squeaked in alarm as Inuyasha scooped her from the floor and into his arms in a movement so fast that it made her dizzy, and her unstable legs tremble. She was thrust behind him just as swiftly her eyes slightly adjusting to the darkness in time to see Inuyasha deflect a heavy object an individual had seen fit to hurl at them.

Heavy footsteps thudded towards them and Kagome gasped as Inuyasha flung one attacker in the direction of the living area with one hand, subdued a second assailant with a flick of his other, and managed to pin her between the wall and relative safety of his body, all in one lithe flowing movement.

The hanyou's amber eyes glittered dangerously in the darkness as he scanned for more potential attacks. The danger had seemed to pass as Inuyasha's grip tightened on the wiggling form within his grip.

"Inu-niichan?"

The familiar whine, came from the direction of the couch where Inuyasha had tossed his first victim. It was Kagome who answered his plea. "Souta?!" The girl's blue eyes could be seen peeking from behind the safe haven that was Inuyasha.

The room was flooded with light, and both individuals blinked furiously as their vision adjusted. Kagome's mother stood by the light switch, a look of relief appearing as she recognized her daughter. "Kagome-chan?" she whispered, taking a hesitant step forward.

"Put me down this instant boy!" The order was given by the captive in Inuyasha's grip. Kagome's eyes widened at her grandfather as he struggled futilely against his hold. Inuyasha fought the urge to drop the old man where he stood, instead he placed him on the floor as gently as his conscious would allow.

"Jii-chan, are you alright?" Kagome asked, stepping from around the hanyou. Her grandfather waved her away, his pride refusing to accept her concern.

"I'm fine, no thanks to him!" He pointed an accusing finger at Inuyasha who was currently peeling haphazardly placed sutras from the front of his kimono.

Kagome's mother padded across the floor, all the while keeping an eye on the grumbling young man. She patted Jii-chan fondly before turning her attention to the disheveled room. "I'm sure Inuyasha didn't mean to hurt anyone," she defended, gathering shards of glass together with a sigh.

The old man gave an arrogant sniff. "As if I could be beaten by that whelp!"

Inuyasha didn't realize he was growling until Kagome poked him none to politely in the ribs.

"You attacked us," Inyasha stated simply. Kagome sighed, guessing that was as close to an apology as her family was going to get. Their actions did bother her though. Such a violent reaction to her entering the house, albeit unconventionally, hadn't been called for or typical. It wasn't as if they weren't used to her unusual entrances by now. Sometimes Inuyasha could even be seen leaping in through a second story window. _Why were they so tense now?_ Kagome glanced at her mother who was still cleaning the debris. A small shake of her head stopped Kagome's questions from leaving her lips.

The miko sighed as her grandfather continued to scowl in what he must have deemed a menacing fashion, but Kagome just found kind of amusing.

Until his eyes landed on the last of the fragments her mother was quietly trying sneak into the garbage can.

His shriek of outrage had Inuyasha's ears lowering in an attempt to block out the noise. "My priceless one of a kind. . ."

The girl's hands rubbed her temples in annoyance as she blocked out his rant. "Jii-chan I'm sorry," she mumbled, "it was an accident."

He didn't seem to hear her words, cradling the fragments as though he could somehow restore them. "Don't 'it was an accident' me young lady," he exclaimed, "you couldn't care less about my statue."

Rolling her eyes Kagome attempted to soothe his wounded feelings. "I'll get you another one ok?"

Her grandfather gasped as though she'd suggested that the moon was made of green cheese. "Just what part of priceless don't you understand?"

She sighed heavily, the night finally taking its toll on the tired girl. Souta bounced over to the two, his concern about the statue apparently equaling his sister's. "Statue, smatue" he exclaimed enthusiastically, "did you see that move that Inu-niichan just did?" Souta attempted his own horribly unbalanced reenactment, grabbing his sister in his attempt her from her "attackers".

Kagome's scream of pain was brief but heartfelt. Tears blurred her vision as the grip Souta had around her made it feel as though she was once again pinned to a tree in the forest. She stumbled backwards blindly, her aching ankles making themselves known. Her mother looked taken aback, reaching out to her daughter, but unsure of how to end her suffering.

"Down, kid," Inuyasha ordered swiftly, and Souta found himself dangling in the air momentarily by the scruff of his shirt. Apparently he had not moved quickly enough. Inuyasha steadied the shaking girl with his other hand, careful of her many injuries. Kagome's mother hurried towards them, her daughter's scream echoing in her mind.

The light of the coming dawn through the window illuminated what had been hidden before. Her mother's disbelieving gasp sounded slightly broken as she assessed the damage. "Oh God, Kagome," she whispered, tucking a stray dark tendril of Kagome's hair behind her ear. Kagome fidgeted uncomfortably, only now aware of her glaringly obvious injuries.

The ugly bruises around her neck had yet to fade, her ribs could obviously be in better shape, and the bandages circling her ankles could be seen even with the long flowing hakama.

"Dear child, sit down," her grandfather's voice interrupted, precious artifact clearly forgotten. Though his voice was filled with concern, the suggestion seemed more like an order as her mother herded the two of them into the kitchen and around the table. Kagome soon found herself propped up by more pillows than she could count, her mother constantly fluffing and refluffing until they were to her satisfaction.

Inuyasha watched it all with eyebrows raised, clearly confused at all the attention she was getting. Kagome reminded herself that no one had probably ever taken care of him before, and tried not to take offense. Starting a pot of tea to keep her shaking hands busy, her mother completed the menial task as though it was of vital importance.

"H. . How did this happen?"

Kagome knew her mother was nearing her breaking point. While she had allowed her to travel to the feudal era, Kagome doubted her mother had ever realized how dangerous the place actually was. She'd purposefully shielded her family from the reality of the situation. She never discussed the looming dangers, or the heartstopping fear she sometimes felt, and she never _ever_ came home with serious injuries. A scratch here or there, but nothing like this.

"A snake demon," Inuyasha explained simply, since Kagome seemed unable to.

"A. . A snake demon?" her mother repeated, as though struggling to comprehend.

"One of the biggest fu. . . uh. . . freaking snakes I've ever seen," Inuyasha confided. "The thing had to be close to fifty feet."

Kagome inwardly groaned at her oblivious friend's words.

"F. .Fifty feet?!" Her mother only seemed capable of repeating simple phrases, and Kagome knew that if this conversation wasn't stopped now that her mother would be looking for the strongest sutras possible to slap all over the Bone Eaters well.

"Mom, I'm alright," she attempted to reassure. Her mother didn't look as though she were buying it.

"Alright?" "Honey, look at yourself!"

"Oh that?" Inuyasha said, attempting to calm the woman the only way he knew how. "That's nothing! You should have seen the time I was stabbed through the chest with poisonous claws!"

Kagome let her face fall into her hands.

"Stabbed!" her mother gasped, eyes widening. "P. . Poisonous claws?"

_And she's back to repeating._

"It was more like the whole arm actually," the hanyou clarified, "bastard of a brother never could take criticism well."

"Cool!" The word was whispered with wonder from the other room.

"Souta!" Kagome's mother yelled, "get back to bed." His heartfelt grumbling was heard as he shuffled to do his mother's bidding.

"Kagome," his voice called briefly.

"Yes, Souta?"

"I didn't mean to hurt you earlier," he apologized.

"I know."

His fading footsteps echoed deeper into the quiet shrine. If Inuyasha thought that her little brother had saved him from questioning than he was sadly mistaken Kagome realized.

"Your brother tried to kill you?"

Inuyasha wasn't prepared for the question and when he turned back to the woman, he caught a glimpse of where Kagome had gotten her legendary protectiveness and unreasonable temper. "Uh. . . I wouldn't say "kill me", exactly. . ."

She arched a disbelieving brow at him.

The concern had been successfully shifted from her to him, and while Kagome was reluctant to bring attention back to herself, she was beginning to fear what Inuyasha would blurt out next.

"Mom, why were Jii-chan and Souta acting so strangely?"

The woman released a long suffering sigh, and placed the cups of freshly made tea in front of them. Kagome immediately took a sip of the warming liquid, while Inuyasha sniffed at the steam curiously. "I didn't want to tell you all of this," she said, running her trembling fingers through her hair. "Not with all of the responsibilities you already have."

"What is it, Mom?" Kagome asked, lowering the cup with worry.

"Someone has been breaking into the shrine," she explained.

"What!" Kagome exclaimed, upset at the mere possibility of a stranger invading her family's home. "Have they taken anything?" Kagome asked, fighting the urge to wander her home to make sure the entire place was intact.

"A few things," her mother admitted. There was a sadness lurking in her mother's eyes and Kagome knew there was something her mother wasn't telling her. "It's happened twice now," her mother continued.

"What is it, Mom?" the girl asked, concern rising at her mother's unshed tears.

"They took something of your father's," she whispered.

Fire leapt to Kagome's eyes as she thought of the audacity of the criminals to dare touch her family's only mementos of her late father. "What did they take?" Her mother took her hands into her own as if to brace her daughter for the blow.

"The watch."

Inuyasha felt his heart lurch as the miko choked on a sob. "It was the first Christmas gift that Souta and I were able to save up and buy for him with our own money," Kagome explained quietly. "My father never took it off."

"He took it right off of my dresser," her mother confided. "I still shiver to think about him in my bedroom. Luckily we weren't home at the time. But the second time we weren't so lucky."

"Hence Souta and Jii-chan," Kagome said, nodding in understanding.

"It's such an ugly feeling to know someone was in our home," the woman mumbled, as though too upset to even continue the conversation.

"You called the police?" Kagome asked, gathering her composure. Her mother slowly nodded. "And nothing?"

"They don't seem very hopeful."

Kagome's sigh of utter defeat was what finally broke Inuyasha. "I guess taking a few extra days to catch this bastard wouldn't be a complete waste of time," he said quietly.

Kagome's entire face lit up at the statement and his unspoken promise to catch the culprit, as she knew he didn't expect her to capture the man alone, warmed her heart.

But that was where he was wrong. She couldn't wait to take back everything the horrible man had stolen from her family.

She smiled as Inuayasha attempted to dodge the maternal pat her mother had stolen upon his silver locks in thanks. A barely audible "Keh" was his only response. But the familiar noise just caused Kagome's smile to widen.

The lost lonely eyes she'd glimpsed hours earlier seemed to be a distant memory. The surly hanyou had never had a house let alone a home, but in that moment Kagome promised herself that she would not leave his side until he had a place to call his own.

_No matter which city. . .or century he wished to make it in._

_Author's Notes  
Finally got the new chapter posted! A little Inu/Kag for the shippers. Hope you guys liked it and I will be posting a lot more frequently now, so I'd love to hear what you think. :)_

Blanket Disclaimer: Inuyasha's mine? Keh! I wish! I'm just borrowing em.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter nine**

**Giving In**

_There was a wild animal loose in her room. _

Kagome knew the groggy assessment didn't make much sense as she was sure that she had fallen asleep safe within her own time and not in a haphazardly made camp 500 years before. But the irritating sounds interrupting her slumber seemed to be insisting otherwise.

_Was that growling?_

The groan she released was long and heartfelt, but did nothing to stop the noises and otherworldly snarling that persisted and even seemed to grow in volume. The monstrous sounds barely drowned out the shrill never ending screech that accompanied it.

_You've got to be kidding me._ "Go. . . away," she mumbled desperately.

Two years ago Kagome would have been shrieking at the top of her lungs to have awakened to a similar scene, but the noise sounded more annoyed than ferocious and that dwindled the choices considerably. Either an irritated woodland creature had managed to scurry from its forest home, scale the vertical wall that was the shrine, and haul itself into her room, or Inuyasha was about to get the osuwari of his life.

_Knowing my life,either is entirely possible._

Pulling a fluffy pink pillow over her face, Kagome struggled to stay securely within the fragile realm between sleep and awake.

"Oi! Wench!" _No such luck_. "What the hell is that thing? Make it stop!"

The irritated girl slid the pillow to the side with a sigh tempted to do just that. But she didn't think Inuyasha would find a pillow jammed into his mouth very amusing._ Though the thought alone was enough to make it worth it._

She cracked open a sleepy eyelid, attempting to identify what had evoked the hanyou's wrath. The offending object, still emitting its loud beeping, turned out to be the alarm on her nightstand. It was attempting to indicate that it was seven o'clock, a mere three hours after she'd fallen asleep, and time for her to rise for school._ If she'd actually had any plans to attend._

Her waning gaze strayed to Inuyasha who looked as though he'd rather be faced with one hundred Narakus than be subjected to the high-pitched noise any longer. His furry white ears were lowered as far as they could possibly go and the threatening growl was still seeping out between his clenched teeth.

_The downfalls of keen inu-youkai hearing. At least now I know what to do if I ever really need him to leave me alone. _

"Kagome, make it stop or I will." Inuyasha threatened, inching closer to the noise, his irritation growing by the second.

Any other day Kagome might've glared at the young man before rolling over and taking care of the matter herself, but the warm blanket over her aching limbs was just too comforting to ignore. Against her better judgment Kagome slid the pillow back into place over her drooping eyelids. "Fine," she muttered, hoping she hadn't made a terrible mistake.

The resulting attack nearly toppled her entire nightstand.

_Hopes_. _Dashed_.

She grit her teeth in mounting frustration as the sounds of claws on metal echoed throughout the small room.

_Well Kagome what did you expect? Great now I'm criticizing myself, _she thought sarcastically as the screech miraculously continued.

After deciding that shredding the alarm clock obviously was not going to work, a noise that sounded distinctly like a smaller object being slammed against a significantly larger one filled her ears. Growling a few words she'd learned from the hanyou but would never admit to, she relented and gave Inuyasha her full attention.

"Tough little bastard," Inuyasha admitted, reaching back in preparation to crush the sturdy clock against the wall for the third time.

"Don't you dare!" Kagome threatened, dizzily shifting herself upright in an attempt to achieve maximum intimidation. "Mama will kill me if you put a hole in her wall."

"But you said. . ." the boy started then released an unearthly sound that could be classified as something between a yelp and a howl as the volume of the noise escalated suddenly.

Kagome winced as she remembered that she had set the clock to get louder when ignored for more than five minutes. Utter exhaustion usually had her ignoring the thing for the first few minutes, until the sound escalated to a volume that was so annoying that even she couldn't manage to sleep through it._ Forgot about that._

This new turn of events did nothing to soothe the angered hanyou, whose ears were drooping so low that they almost blended into the locks of his hair.

"Inuyasha, wait!"

She was too late.

He pounced on the thing rolling around the room in an astonishingly quick blur of silver and red. Kagome silently thanked Kami that the impulsive boy didn't have Tetsusaiga strapped to his waist as she struggled to release herself from her mountain of blankets.

The miko attempted to capture him as he rolled past, careful of the tearing teeth and swiping claws.

"If you'd just let me. . ." her fingers reached and missed again as he continued his "battle" with the formidable appliance._ Oh for the love of Kami!_

Kagome watched as Inuyasha attempted to destroy it for what had to be the tenth time, but every time he grew close enough to do so the noise seemed to overwhelm him and he ended up batting the thing away from him.

Kagome was quickly losing what was left of her patience when Inuyasha managed to "corner" it against the wall beneath the window.

"Inuyasha, I can just. . ." The girl's eyes widened at the expression that crossed the boy's face._ I know that look. _In fact she was way too familiar with it. It was his "I found a very expedient yet completely illogical solution" look; A solution that was always guaranteed to be half-baked and completely destructive. She'd bet a shard of the Shikon jewel that he'd been sporting it when he'd used Wind Scar on that field of crops in the village.

She lunged across the room for him, attempting to stop whatever he had in mind. "Wait! It has an off. . ."

_Too late. _

_Again._

He had the window open and was already pitching the expensive clock into space as she reached him.

". . . switch." She finished, cringing visibly as she heard the noise fade away to be concluded with a resounding crash.

Kagome resisted the urge to peer out the window and look at her shattered alarm. Instead she turned murderous eyes to the hanyou who had the nerve to look proud of his accomplishment.

His injured ears twitched like little radars, making sure that the sound was truly gone. Satisfied at its destruction they perked back up to their normal position.

Until they encountered the stormy blue eyes that were attempting to glare a hole straight through him. They seemed to almost pause half-mast as he fought the battle between fear and irritation.

"What?!" Inuyasha asked, annoyed that the girl seemed to have an issue with his preferred method of solving problems.

She closed her eyes in silent concentration._ Just count to one hundred. Breathe and count. That's what all the therapists say._ She seriously doubted that modern day therapists had encountered anything like Inuyasha but she thought it was worth a try. She inhaled rhythmically ignoring the look he was sending her.

Kagome resisted the urge to capture one of the swiveling appendages, instead she settled on shoving impulsive boy out of her way before crawling between her still warm blankets with an indulgent huff. Sleep was much more distant than it had been minutes ago, but she was determined to regain it or break something herself.

_And it wouldn't be an alarm clock._

With one last glance at Inuyasha she let her lids slide shut willing him to remain silent for his own good.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Kagome attempted and failed to ignore the impatient tone of voice._ Apparently the hanyou doesn't know the meaning of self-preservation._

She knew from experience that ignoring him wouldn't work. In fact it seemed to be an excellent way to goad him into being more persistent.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" She asked simply, burrowing deeper within her cocoon a second time, attempting to annoy the surly hanyou with a confused look on his face.

"Being useless?" He guessed, arching a black eyebrow at her dark look.

"Useless?" She defended. "I don't see how I'm going to be of much use completely exhausted."

"You're barely useful anyways."

Kagome grit her teeth in growing anger. "So then you shouldn't care that I'm going tosleep." She argued, smiling at the disgruntled look that crossed his face.

_Far be it for Inuyasha to actually admit that he needs me._

"Keh! How can anyone sleep after that damn wake-up?" He asked jabbing an accusing finger towards the window where the remains of the alarm clock lay. She watched lazily as he inserted his other clawed finger into his ear as though dislodging the echoes of the annoying sound.

"Pretty easily actually," the sleepy girl assured him before rolling over to demonstrate.

"You can't be serious."

"Watch me."

Inuyasha rolled his amber eyes, sinking to his haunches in frustration. "Smartass," he mumbled smirking a bit at the small smile the girl was obviously trying to hide at his comment.

"Smart being the operative word, dog-boy," Kagome rebutted, swallowing the yawn that kept threatening to emerge.

Blessed silence followed her statement. For about three seconds.

"Kagome, we can't just sit here all day."

The girl in question opened her eyes in surprise. Inuyasha was leaning against her bed, his face mere inches from her own as he studied her quietly. Smothering a small sigh Kagome attempted not to notice the signature pout that always caused her stomach to flutter oddly.

"Why can't we?" She asked genuinely curious to hear the answer he would give.

Inuyasha seemed to mull this question over, eyebrows knitting as he considered the novel idea. "Because…um…we can't."

His response sounded more like a question and Kagome's eyes widened as she took in his confused expression. The hanyou had always awoke them all at dawn for training or travel ever since she'd know him. But she had never actually thought about why until now.

_How he ever just spent a day without the threat of Naraku or some other danger looming over his head?_ She was beginning to think that answer was a resounding **"**no**"**.

"You already agreed to stay here," She reminded him subtly.

"You tryin' to make me regret it?"

"I'm just saying that we're staying here anyway, so there's no reason to go running off at the break of dawn." Kagome stated.

"What about your school thing?" Inuyasha asked hesitantly.

Kagome smiled at the small grimace that crossed his face as he said the word "school".

_No love lost there._

"Well I don't think that Mama would let me go to school looking like this," Kagome explained motioning to the bruises circling her neck. "I doubt even Jii-chan will be able to come up with a disease that makes you look as though you've almost been strangled."

Kagome winced at the brief flash of guilt that crossed his features before he attempted to make a decision. "So your big plan is to do nothing all day?"

"Oh no, I'm sure we'll do something," she qualified, "just nothing important." Kagome couldn't control her laughter any longer at the lost lookthat seemed permanently glued to his features. She could tell he was quickly becoming irritated at her and she managed to suppress it to a small giggle. The concept of simply doing nothing almost seemed to be too much for him.

"Besides we could both use the rest," she allowed, hoping he would see the potential benefits of her plan.

She couldn't stand his obvious confusion any longer and reached her hand from beneath the blanket to give his ears a comforting pat. Inuyasha's golden eyes widened in surprise, but he didn't jerk away from her touch.

"By "both" you really mean "you"," he smugly stated, attempting to fight the blush creeping over his skin as her patting turned into a lazy rub.

Kagome smiled as his soft ears continued to flick nervously beneath her fingers and wondered how long he would allow it to continue. Seeking to distract him, she smiled warmly at him and was rewarded by his wary look.

"I don't like that look."

Kagome gasped in mock offense. "You don't like it when I smile?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at her antics. "No, I just don't like that look. I always see it before you make me do something dumb."

"I never ask you to do anything dumb," Kagome defended.

"Keh! Yeah, what about when you made me lug all that crap back for Shippou?"

"It was his birthday!" Kagome qualified "besides it wasn't that much stuff."

Inuyasha shot her a disbelieving look. "Damn near broke my back!" The hanyou winced at the memory. Kagome had accidentally discovered that youkai didn't celebrate birthdays and to rectify the great injustice done to her kit she had attempted to make up for all the ones he'd missed.The kitsune had received enough crayons, toys, and pocky to last him a lifetime. _Well, a human lifetime anyway._

"That doesn't count. You didn't _really_mind," she said her smile widening. "Admit it, you like Shippou."

"I tolerate the runt," Inuyasha growled refusing to meet her knowing gaze. "You gave me the same damn look when you told me I couldn't rip the shards out of that mangy wolf's legs."

"You know he'll give them to us when we ask."

"If Naraku hasn't killed him first."

Kagome rolled her eyes as she listened to his wistful tone of voice. "Kouga's too smart to let Naraku get his shards," she defended.

"That's debatable."

Kagome smiled as Inuyasha reluctantly let the topic go. Or so she thought. "There was that time you smiled at me and insisted that I cart you 100 miles only to forget the damn keys."

Her smiling eyes shifted to a glare at his words. "Inuyasha. . ." she warned.

"Now what was it you called me when that damn smile didn't work?"

Kagome's gentle fingers flexed threateningly upon his head. Inuyasha winced but his infuriating smirk remained in place. "Careful wench," he mumbled.

Her grip loosened reflexively despite her anger, and her fingers slid unconsciously into his silver strands. "You act as though I manipulate you every time I smile." She was marveling at its softness and didn't feel Inuyasha's involuntary shiver as she sifted his hair between her fingers.

"No," he contradicted, "but you try."

Kagome could have sworn her heart missed a beat at Inuyasha's openly teasing smirk and mysteriously husky voice. The small distance between them felt like mere inches as she attempted not to lose herself in the appraising look he was giving her.

_What were we talking about again?_

"So how do we do it?" The miko's eyes widened in astonishment as his words registered.

"D-Do it?" She repeated, her body suddenly acutely aware of him in such close proximity. His amazingly soft hair draped over her arm, and the blended scent of forest and fresh air that was purely Inuyasha. A lethargic heat flowed through her as her traitorous eyes refused to look way.

"Yeah it's not like I've ever done this before," Inuyasha reminded her.

_I can't be_ _hearing him right._ A blush crept slowly over her skin as the hanyou waited expectantly. I-I. . . but I haven't . ." Kagome started, surprised that she was even capable of speech.

Inuyasha cut her off with an exasperated roll of his eyes. "This was your idea, wench."

_My idea?!_

"If you want me to do it right, then you're going to have to show me how._" _

_Show him?!_

Kagome wondered if she had inherited her mother's tendency to repeat everything in the form of a question when shocked. Inuyasha didn't seem to notice her unease even when the rhythmic motion of her fingers ceased.

"You don't have to look that damn shocked," he grumbled, dislodging her hand with a practiced shake of his head. "We can always go back to my plan."

When she still didn't respond, his self-conscious nature fought its way to the surface.

"Hauling your ass out of bed is still an option. . . Damnit! K-Kagome, why the hell are you looking at me like that?"

Inuyasha, it seemed, had finally sensed her nervousness. Kagome's mind hurried to catch up.

_He wants to "do it"? _

Her breath expelled from her lips in a halfhearted sigh as realization struck her. . . . finally.

_He's giving into my idea to rest!_

_Why the heck did I think he meant. . . something else God! First, Inuyasha's horrible vocabulary and now Miroku's hentai thoughts! If I start hitting people over the head with my bow like a certain taijiya I'm going to start to worry._

She knew he was staring at her as though she wascrazy, but she couldn't help pausing and thanking Kami she hadn't said something infinitely stupid._ Like yes…or no._ Kagome groaned inwardly._ What's wrong with me?_

"Sorry," she stammered, "just amazed you're actually agreeing with me."

"Well cherish it woman cause it ain't happening often."

Kagome smirked at the comment, his familiar gruffness alleviating some of her embarrassment. "Have you ever even taken a break?" She asked skeptically.

Inuyasha folded his arms into the loose sleeves of his haori in rebellion. "Not like I could while watching you pathetic humans."

"Yeah, I know," she said sarcastically, "we'd be completely lost without you."

"Damn straight."

"Well I guess the first part of taking a break is getting some rest," Kagome explained.

"Don't feel like it," Inuyasha quipped.

"Well try."

"Why?"

"Because you don't know how to rest and I do."

Inuyasha watched warily as Kagome tossed one of her pillows onto the floor in front of him. "What am I supposed to do with this?" He asked skeptically as he toed it.

"Sleep on it," Kagome said simply.

"But what's it for?"

"It makes it more comfortable." She watched as he inspected the pillow in question, poking it with a sharpened claw, a bewildered look on his face. Kagome rolled her eyes, patience at an end.

"Inuyasha do you _really _want my help?"

The irritated look he shot her only strengthened her resolve.

"Keh! I guess so. . ."

"Osuwari."

Inuyasha released a startled yelp as his unsuspecting body jerked to the ground. Kagome ignored his emphatic growls that were thankfully muffled by the pillow. Reaching to the foot of her bed Kagome snagged her spare blanket and draped it over the squirming hanyou.

Inuyasha went suspiciously still at the gesture. Kagome watched warily as the struggling boy's breathing slowed then miraculously evened out.

_Is he angry?_

Minutes passed in silence and no one was more surprised than Kagome when the soft rumbling of contented sleep penetrated the room.

She was being watched.

Sango was sure she hadn't imagined the feeling this time.

The taijiya paused briefly to block outthe downward sweep of Miroku's staff before returning her attention to the all-too-familiar sensation._ Where is it coming from?_ She saw no signs of anyone else, but in a world filled with predators, youkai, and a plethora of other creatures, she knew that that observation meant nothing.

Her inattention would cost her.

Sango released a startled shriek as Miroku's staff caught the sensitive spot behind her knees.

_What the. . ?_

She found herself sprawled in front of the monk wondering how she had allowed herself to be distracted to the point of defeat. Blowing her bangs out of her deep brown eyes Sango shot Miroku an indignant look at the obvious satisfaction he was trying and failing to hide.

_Leave it to Miroku to take advantage of the situation._

The feeling was probably well deserved as she had been training relentlessly ever since her return to her ancestral village. Having Miroku as her sparring partner had seemed a given as they had awoke to find Kagome and Inuyasha strangely absent. _The impulsive hanyou has probably dragged the poor girl off somewhere_.

The unfortunate monk would be covered in bruises by day**'**s end if she kept up the mind blowing pace she had begun. Becoming lost in her training seemed to be the easiest way to conquer the sadness eating away at her.

So her fall from grace had produced a small smirk on her friend's features. She knew it was her own fault, but her warrior's spirit was clamoring to make it disappear_. Preferably with a well-placed punch or roundhouse._

Tossing her high ponytail back over her shoulder where it belonged,Sango attempted to rise from the ground with as much dignity as possible. His helping hand went ignored and Miroku ran it through his hair with a slightly abashed grin. The self-sufficient girl dusted off her training gear only to wince as her bruised tailbone made itself known.

"Have I injured you, Sango?" A flicker of guilt crossed Miroku's face and against better judgment he reached shaking fingers to rub the tender area on her lower back.

_Oh my God! What is he doing?_ Shock warred with pleasure and in the end Sango watched the monk closely, convinced that his attention was at least partially a ploy to get him a step closer to his goal.

To her surprise he seemed to be legitimately concerned. His ministrations were soft, gentle, and a bit distracting. Which was why Sango didn't hear his whispered words.

"W-What did you say?" She stammered uncomfortably, her skin seeming to heat even beneath the fabric of her uniform.

"I apologize," he repeated softly, his words at odds with the knowing look in his violet eyes. "Sometimes I forget."

The girl stood transfixed momentarily as the unusually husky sound of his voice left her strangely breathless. Combined with the feelings his hand wasevoking, Sango found it a little difficult to concentrate.

_Okay more than a little difficult, she acknowledged reluctantly._

"You forget what?" She asked quietly.

"That although you are one of the greatest fighters I have ever known, you very certainly possess the body of a woman."

Sango was tempted to ask just what he meant by that comment, but his tone made her pause._ Do I even want to know what he meant? _She thought ruefully, her mind lingering on the way his rubbing had changed to almost acaress as he spoke.

Sango fought the strange urge to take a step closer to him._ Should I discourage him? I mean. . . I should discourage him! . . . right?_ She had done so often enough over the past years that it had become second nature.

The taijiya had always ignored the tiny voice in her mind that attempted to convince her to do otherwise. But lately it was stronger than normal. Whispering for her to act before it was too late. _Before he was taken from her as well._

The look in his amethyst colored orbs was causing the warmth that usually rose to her cheeks at his words to seep lower, deeper, and she shuddered at the sensation. Miroku seemed to sense the change within her and he drew her closer still.

"H-Houshi-sama. . ." she murmured softly, in hopes that her senses would return. His fingers were gripping the small of her back in a way that was completely inappropriate, but sent the most thrilling waves of heat pulsing through her.

"Yes, Sango?" the monk questioned huskily, his breath brushing gently over her slightly parted lips.

She gasped at the feeling, tongue darting out to lick her lips nervously. Her mind was suspiciously blank as she struggled to remember why she had said his name in the first place. His touch confused her. Which was probably the main reason she had avoided it in the past. She needed to remain focused. And the irrational way he made her feel. . . well, _focused_ was the last thing he made her feel.

"Why are you doing this?" Sango didn't realize she was going to ask the question until it had already left her lips. The smile Miroku flashed her, she was sure had melted many a girl's heart.

"Doing what?" He asked, smiling at the disgruntled look that crossed her face.

Sango sighed loudly pulling subtly against his embrace. Miroku, anticipating her need for space, loosened his grip but did not released her.

"Making me feel this way," she finished quietly.

Concern filled his gaze at the unfamiliar look of defeat in the slayer's eyes. "I make you feel what way?" Miroku asked, all traces of seduction replaced by vulnerability.

The woman opened her mouth to respond only to be interrupted by a flash of familiar red haori. "Oi! Lech! Get your hands off her!" Sango winced at the interruption, stumbling clumsily out of the comfortable embrace.

Inuyasha landed nimbly beside them, completely ignoring Miroku's look of innocence. "Leave you alone with her for one night and you forget all about the last time she kicked your ass." The boy rolled his eyes in disgust before heading into the hut they had vacated the night before.

The sounds of determined rummaging and frustrated hanyou quickly followed, the noises growing louder as he obviously couldn't find what he was looking for.

Sango fought the blush that was quickly overtaking her._ How much had Inuyasha seen? If he realized that I had been one caress away from giving into Miroku's advances, I'll never hear the end of it!_

She peeked from beneath her bangs at the monk at her side and was surprised to see his teasing smirk mysteriously absent. His gaze was completely focused on her as if he were struggling to understand something that was just barely out of his reach. Sango turned away from his unnerving stare.

"Inuyasha? Where's Kagome-chan?"

"Where the hell did she put that thing?!" Inuyasha grumbled, effectively ignoring his startled companions.

A surprised "eep" caused the noises inside to cease momentarily.

_Guess Shippou's awake. _Sango thought wryly.

"Move it runt, you're in the way." That declaration heralded the return of the crashing noises as the sleepy kit attempted to remove himself from Inuyasha's path.

"You're so mean! I didn't even do anything." From what Sango could hear it didn't sound as though the hanyou had even acknowledged the statement.

Miroku shot her a knowing look. "Maybe we should stop him before he destroys everything?"

Sango shrugged lightly. "You're welcome to try."

"Um. . .Inuyasha," Miroku started, "I believe Sango asked you what you did to Kagome-sama." Sango winced at his particular phrasing.

Another suspicious thump followed that declaration. "Aaaah! My pocky!" Shippou shrieked his drowsy tone fading away as he struggled to save his precious snack from near destruction.

"Why the hell do you guys always think I did something to her?" Inuyasha snapped overturning the miko's sleeping bag in his search.

"Well. . ." Miroku hedged, glancing at Sango for help. She sent him a look that clearly meant he was on his own.

"Well what, bouzu?" Inuyasha challenged at the monk's apparent silence.

Miroku remained wisely quite, but Shippou seemed happy to oblige. "It's because you make her cry and then she runs back home to get away from you."

Sango's hand flew to her mouth to stifle the snicker threatening to escape. She didn't know if the menacing growl that had begun was aimed at the kitsune or the object he obviously couldn't find. Miroku seemed to believe it to be the former.

"Don't be crossed with Shippou, Inuyasha." He lectured. "We just woke to find you both missing and assumed the worst."

"Well you're wrong," Inuyasha clarified. "I didn't do a damn thing."

"Would you mind me asking where Kagome-sama has run off to then?"

Inuyasha looked abashed at the question and was glad that the monk was outside the hut and couldn't see him. _Shippou on the other hand was one snicker away from getting booted out the door._

"She went home."

"Oh," Miroku commented casually as if not to incur the hanyou's wrath, "but I thought you said you didn't do anything."

"I didn't!"

"But she went home?"

"Yeah"

"But you didn't do anything?"

"Damnit that's what I said."

"Yes but," Miroku started, but was cut off by Inuyasha's halfhearted explanation.

"Weak woman missed her family, so she went home."

They seemed to absorb this announcement slowly. Miroku nodded in agreement with the miko's feelings. "That's understandable. She hasn't been home in weeks."

Inuyasha frowned at the comment.

Sango was the first to send Miroku a disheartened look. The monk didn't even pretend not to see the worry in her eyes as he knew exactly what she was thinking. Inuyasha was definitely not happy. Which meant that the time they had to look forward to with him would probably be less than pleasant. But they wisely kept this little revelation to themselves.

Shippou apparently had yet to learn his lesson or was so distressed over Kagome's absence that he didn't care what he said. "Does that mean we're stuck with you?" He complained, irritation plainly evident.

"That's it, brat!"

Sango winced as she heard him lurch for the escaping fox demon. "Aaaah Kagomeeeee!" Shippou cried, more from reflex than anything else. A distinctive thump reached their ears before an indignant kitsune was forcefully ejected out the door to land in front of his two friends.

Shippou sent the hut a withering glare before shoving the last of his pocky into his mouth with a pitiful sniffle.

"Where the hell is Kagome**'**s bag?!" Inuyasha literally growled, peeking his head from behind the tatami mat door.

"Her bag?" Miroku repeated curiously.

"Yes bouzuher bag. You know,the freakishly large yellow monstrosity she lugs around." The monk laughed softly at his description.

"Is that what you're in there looking for?" Sango asked with a growing smile.

"No I thought I'd just rip apart the hut for fun," Inuyasha retorted with a roll of his eyes

"It's in the corner, baka," Shippou declared, pout still glued securely to his small face. Inuyasha disappeared back inside momentarily before emerging with his prize strapped securely to his back.

"Why do you need Kagome's bag?" Shippou accused.

Inuyasha sent Shippou a glare of his own before replying. "The woman can't survive without this damn bag, no matter what century she's in."

Sango took in his defensive tone and deduced that the young man just didn't have the patience for running errands that didn't end with him being able to use Tetsusaiga.

"So when will she be returning?" Miroku asked a little too eagerly.

Sango sent him a pointed look at his eagerness, not sure if the monk did not wish to be left alone with Inuyasha or had simply had enough of her endless training.

Luckily the hanyou didn't pick up on it, his thoughts clearly elsewhere. "I'm staying too," he stated glancing away quickly.

They were clearly surprised at his announcement. "But you hate Kagome's time," Shippou wondered aloud.

The reminder seemed to irritate Inuyasha. Watching as he shifted the weight of his bag silently, Sango realized with a bit of shock that the boy was nervous._ Is he fidgeting?_ She watched with eyebrows raised as he refused to meet their gaze.

Miroku seemed to notice as well, sending her a small smirk as he silently weighed the consequences of commenting on Inuyasha's discomfort. _Discomfort most likely in the form of a joke completely at the hanyou's expense._

Sango saved them both with a small shake of her head. _Kagome won't be here to save him and I really don't think Inuyasha will find me the least bit intimidating in the mood he's in._

Crisis averted,her thoughts soon turned to her own worries. She didn't know how to feel about this new development._ I hadn't planned to stay here this long._ Her eyes strayed to the grave site that dotted the perimeter of the village. Coming back here had seemed like a good idea at the time.

"Why are you staying?" She asked, attempting to divert her mind from her unpleasant thoughts.

The group listened intently as Inuyasha explained the series of robberies Kagome's family had endured. Sango's heart went out to the girl. She knew exactly what it felt like to have her home violated.

"So you're staying until you catch the thief?" Shippou asked, the disappointment poorly masked in his voice.

Inuyasha shrugged, the large bag shifting yet again to his annoyance. "I dunno. Depends on how long it takes I guess."

"And what about Naraku?" Miroku asked. "Should we follow any leads we get on him?"

The hanyou looked torn by the question. His body literally wanting to be in two places at once. In the end he uttered a small sigh of defeat. "No. Don't do anything until we get back." The boy sent the monk an indulgent smirk. "Kagome would kill me if you guys got yourselves killed while we were gone."

Sango was slightly confused by his amusing statement. "Why would it be your fault if something happened? Does Kagome not wish to stay in her time?"

Inuyasha began heading down the trail that would take him back to the Bone Eater's well. "Doesn't matter," he threw over his shoulder, "somehow it'd be my fault anyway."

The girl rolled her eyes at his insane logic.

"I'm not eating dirt cause you guys can't stay put," he threatened mildly, giving the rosary around his neck a pointed jerk.

Shippou stuck out his tongue at the young man's retreating back, assured that what Inuyasha couldn't see couldn't hurt him.

Inuyasha stopped moving abruptly, his senses on high alert. Shippou, afraid that he was the cause of the hanyou's sudden halt, stumbled back to put a little more distance between himself and the hanyou.

"What is it?" Sango asked, recognizing his particular stance, even with the massive knapsack on his back. She clutched Hiraikotsu to herself reflexively, as though just gripping the weapon could ward off any incoming doom.

"Is it Naraku?" Miroku asked, staff clinking rhythmically as he walked to stand next to his rigid companion.

"No," Inuyasha clarified "not Naraku."

"Then what is it, baka?" Shippou asked trembling slightly, his fear growing at the unnerving way Inuyasha remained absolutely motionless. Something seemed to almost be attacking his sensitve senses, freezing him cold in his tracks.

"Blood," he revealed quietly, finally regaining his ability to speak, "Human blood. And not just a little of it." The entire group gazed dejectedly at the horizon as the youki of not one, but many youkai floated towards them on the traveling wind.

_Author's Notes  
Hope you guys like the update! Thanks for all you're great reviews. I'm not sure how authors can respond to them, since I don't know anyone's email. Maybe I'll start posting them in my author's notes if you guys don't mind. Chapter 10 will delve a little deeper into the characters minds, and then comes the action! Don't forget to check out my deviantart page. www.angelswrath._

Blanket Disclaimer: Inuyasha's mine? Keh! I wish! I'm just borrowing em.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 10**

**The Art of Hooky**

"Well that can't be good," Miroku announced glumly, allowing the suffocating aura of countless youkai to engulf them before making his declaration. He glanced at the small group around him, taking in their annoyed expressions. _Maybe this wasn't the best time for humor?_

That hunch was proven true as his easily irritated comrade pinned him with his most sarcastic look. "What was your first clue?" Inuyasha snapped, "My subtle blood statement or the choking youki?"

Shippou's little nose twitched as he too fought the stench. "No need for sarcasm," Miroku countered easily, but shifted slowly away from the hanyou who seemed to be getting more agitated by the second. This was obviously not going to end well, and Miroku decided that he might want to be far away when it did.

Inuyasha winced inwardly at his own comment. He hadn't meant to jump down Miroku's throat, but the situation was deteriorating rapidly. _This is just fucking great. _ Fingers gripping the pack at his back, Inuyasha weighed his obvious options.

He could return to Kagome's era as he originally planned, or he could stay and embrace the early morning diversion Kami had seen fit to provide him with.

Normally this would be a no-brainer. Any excuse to unsheathe Tetsusaiga usually worked for him, but Kagome was making him hesitate. Or rather the memory of her hurt look when she'd discovered he'd gone Naraku-hunting the last time she'd been injured made him pause.

_Wench isn't even here and she's slowing me down. _

His choices tore at him. He could almost feel the group's eyes on him as though waiting for instructions on what to do next. Their looks only amplified his irritation. _When the hell had they started listening to me anyways?_ Inuyasha quickly reviewed possible excuses.

Claiming that there had been a Shikon shard was out.

The only ones yet to be collected were with Kouga and Kohaku respectively. And that brought to mind another good point. _How the hell would he be able to claim they were near without Kagome around to sense them? There were far too many ways that little lie could catch up to him. _

Sensing Naraku was also out.

That hadn't worked even when he'd actually smelled the bastard. Inuyasha took a long whiff to make sure. No sense wasting a good excuse if he didn't have to. _Damn._ Lots of gathering youki, but nothing that smelled anything like the manipulative hanyou.

_Figures. _The one time he actually wanted Naraku to be there. . .

The hanyou released a half-hearted sigh as he allowed his head to hang in silent defeat. "Damn," he whispered, quietly giving voice to his thoughts, which were growing more depressing by the moment.

"Pardon me?" Miroku asked attempting to translate disgruntled hanyou grunts and curses into an answer to their current crisis.

Sango wasn't much help. She merely shrugged and waited for the boy to say something semi-coherent.

Silver tresses fell over Inuyasha's shoulders, obscuring his unusually pensive amber gaze from his companions. He could practically hear the wench now.

The "Inuyasha no bakas" loud and resounding, caused his ears to wilt as though he could actually hear the damning words.

_But wasn't it always the girl's idea that he "help" people? Only Kami knew why she'd think he'd want to do that. _

Inyusha didn't think this particular instance had been exactly what Kagome meant. Deep down he knew that the others were perfectly capable of handling themselves. Decision reluctantly made Inuyasha spun on the ball of his foot away from the danger. Away from the growing temptation, and back towards the infamous well and a future that didn't involve an enraged miko.

"Inu-Inuyasha?," a certain pesky monk questioned, obviously befuddled by this turn of events. The houshi couldn't help but glance at the distant village, then back at Inuyasha. Then back to the village, as though the entire situation just didn't compute.

"Take care of it," the young man decreed, shifting the massive bag into a more comfortable position. Now even Shippou was confused, as he watched the hanyou seemingly walk in the _opposite_ direction of the youkai..

The little kit stumbled a bit as he scrambled to catch up with him, eventually planting himself defiantly in the young man's path, as if Inuyasha's words must underlie some horrible joke. Inuyasha raised a charcoal colored eyebrow at all of the commotion.

"_You_ want _us_ to go fight the youkai without _you_?"

The constant staring was getting a bit unnerving._ What the hell was wrong with all of them?_ Shippou seemed to be the only one capable of speech at the moment. The others looked as if he'd suggested something impossible. He'd only said he was walking away from the battle, not that the moon was made of Shikon shards.

_What the hell was their problem?_ _I mean I do more than fight don't I?_ His annoying inner voice was mysteriously silent.

_Thanks. _

_Well at least I'm consistent . . .usually anyway. _

If he had known that this was all it took to shake them up a bit he would have tried something like this a long time ago. Missing a battle or two was definitely worth their stupefied silence. He could have shut them up weeks ago.

It's not like he had to fight _all _of the time.

_Well he hadn't had a choice with the last demon . _And there were a few battles he'd never take back. Like Ryuukotsei. Or the battle with the ancient bat demon.

_But those were different because they had to do with Tetsusaiga._

None of the Naraku battles were expendable either. _That filth had it coming for all the pain he'd caused. _

And all of his battles with Sesshoumaru were priceless.

_Somebody had to shut that pompous arrogant ass up from time to time. One day he would cut off the bastard's other arm and wipe that unfazable look off his face. _

_Always looking down his nose at his half-breed brother. _

_Maybe he'd cut that off too. . ._

Inuyasha smiled at the direction his thoughts had taken. Ok, maybe he did understand the clueless looks his companions were giving. _Just a little. _

"I'm going back," he clarified simply, in a voice that made them question if he said it for their benefit or his own.

"Going back? You mean to Kagome's time?"

"If you make me repeat myself one more time bouzu. . ." His glare dare anyone to speak. They were duly intimidated.

For about five seconds.

"But why?" Shippou asked, the first to give into temptation.

_Why? Wow and Kagome thought I was insensitive._

Because he needed to catch the idiot who was brave enough to break into a shrine of all places. Not once but multiple times.

Because for some odd reason the sadness in Mrs. Higurashi's face irritated the hell out of him.

Because he didn't trust anybody in that family to handle the situation on their own and not get themselves killed in the process.

All of these were valid reasons. None of which he would ever let escape his mouth. "Because I told Kagome I would."

It was obviously not the response they had been expecting.

What followed was the most absurd guessing game he'd ever witnessed. It consisted of them demanding answers, Inuyasha giving them, then the three of them ignoring him in search of a more logical one.

"I'm serious damnit!"

They talked over him as though they hadn't heard a word he'd said.

"Do you think Kagome-chan threatened him?" Sango suggested, eyeing Inuyasha warily.

"Could be. More likely she sat his face into the ground until he complied," Miroku mused.

"She didn't do a damn thing. I told the wench I'd be back!" Inuyasha fairly shouted, not reassured in the slightest by their sympathetic looks.

"Maybe he just wants to go so he can get a chance to kill the thief," Shippou commented, ignoring the hanyou rolling his eyes a few feet behind him. Inuyasha started to defend himself, but Sango was already speaking on his behalf.

"That's not it. Kagome wouldn't let him kill a human. There's got to be something else. A bribe maybe?"

"Probably involving ramen," Shippou decided.

Miroku was nodding in agreement before Inuyasha decided that this little conversation was getting him nowhere.

With a disgusted shake of his head he continued down the path to the Bone Eaters well, grunting in annoyance while his friends considered permanent brain damage from constant osuwaris as a cause.

"Chicken or shrimp?" Kagome mused aloud, staring at the colorful packages of instant noodles in her hands as if deciding the fate of the world.

Her shopping cart was already halfway full with supplies. _Most of which they probably didn't even need._ But she'd given in to avoid the convincing pouts of a certain hanyou and kit.

Kagome weighed her choices quickly. She wanted to get any decisions involving food out of the way before Inuyasha returned.

His solution usually involved the use of more than one shopping cart.

She could hardly blame him. The boy burned so many calories a day merely training that he never needed to pay attention to what he ate. If it tasted good then it was okay with Inuyasha.

A small blush crept over her cheeks at the memory of his shirtless form. Junkfood had definitely done nothing to harm the hanyou as far as she could tell. And believe me she'd looked.

Anything nutritious rarely found its way into her legendary knapsack. She on the other hand needed something a little more than foods high in fat, sugar, salt content, or sometimes amazingly all of the above.

If she kept up this diet she could kiss those piggyback rides goodbye.

"Chicken _or _shrimp?!"

Kagome jumped in surprise as the packages were snatched from her fingers by a clawed hand. _Kami, did an alarm sound in his head when somebody mentions ramen?_

"Keh! All this time wench and you don't even know me at all! Both!" Inuyasha decided simply, clutching the rustling items as though afraid Kagome would fight him for them.

The miko rolled her eyes at his antics. _Don't know him? Hah!_

"These were mine, dog-boy." She nodded towards the basket, where she had already stacked three large bulk packs of the noodles in three mouthwatering flavors. "Those are yours."

Inuyasha was too shocked to form a witty reply. Leaning into the basket for a closer look, he sent his benefactor a wistful glance. "I stand corrected."

"Big surprise there." Kagome shoved the basket farther down the aisle as he began pawing through the rest of her potential purchases.

"I didn't even know you could get this many at once. . ."

"So did you tell the others what was going on?" Kagome asked, wiggling the basket a bit in an effort to dislodge its extra passenger.

"Yeah yeah wench," he muttered, the massive knapsack sliding dangerously as he lifted a mysterious bag to his nose and sniffed. "and I caught the lecher trying to play pin the tail on the demon slayer."

Kagome snorted with laughter, and rolled her eyes. _Last time I attempt to explain anything from my time. _Somehow either Inuyasha or Miroku always found a way to pervert it. Still she couldn't help but feel for the misguided monk.

"Did she have Hiraikotsu?"

"I dunno, but she didn't seem to be in that big of a hurry to use it if she did." The hanyou gave her a knowing look that had her glancing away quickly. "Well you can't blame him. The hentai hasn't been with a woman since before he proposed to Sango. . ."

"He-He what?!" Kagome asked, her shock causing her to skid to halt, and practically tossed Inuyasha into the basket.

"Whoa! Watch it!"

"Are we talking about the same monk? Handsome? Hole in the hand? Likes to grope unwilling women?"

Inuyasha shot her a smirk that had her heart skipping a beat. "One and the same."

"Well it couldn't be for the lack of trying."

"I don't think the pervert's heart is in it anymore," the hanyou guessed. A confused look crossed his handsome features. "Never thought I'd say that."

"But how do you even know he's telling the truth?" Kagome asked warily.

"I never said he told me wench," Inuyasha replied, attention returning to where it was need most. To the ramen beneath him.

Kagome mulled over the boy's strange reply before a large box of pocky caught her eye and she snagged it as they rounded the corner. Shippou's inevitable whine at the meager offering compared to what she was getting for Inuyasha made her reconsider and she pulled two more off of the shelf.

"No drooling on the food dog-boy," Kagome ordered when his head threatened to disappear into the depths of the food pile.

"Kit's going to explode from all those damn sugar sticks," Inuyasha predicted grouchily, but finally released his hold on his precious snack. She could tell he was irritated when she thoroughly ignored him and swung the heavy cart down another aisle.

This one was full of school supplies and that thought alone was enough to make her groan aloud. She was afraid to even think of what kind of marks she was receiving in her classes since their newfound determination to catch Naraku. The miko snuck a small colorful box of crayons into the cart for Shippou, hoping that Inuyasha wouldn't notice and accuse her of spoiling the child again. "Did you tell everybody when we would be back?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "I didn't know when we would be back. Besides their keeping busy with the demon attack. They better enjoy the rest, because when we do finally get back over-"

"THE WHAT?!"

White fuzzy ears retreated into silvery hair beneath his cap at her bellow. _What the hell was she shrieking about? _Inuyasha went through his quick mental checklist of potential causes. It usually saved time, and if he was really fast he could make amends before the girl decided to plant his face into the ground.

He hadn't done anything wrong. He hadn't called her out of her name for the past few minutes. He hadn't killed anything today. _Had she seen that po-ta-to chip he had snuck while she'd been pretending not to buy more toys for the runt? That couldn't be it. _He'd even done his good deed for the century and come back when all he'd wanted to do was kill a few mangy youkai. . .

_Youkai._

_Damn._

"The demon attack?" he responded hesitantly. "I told you. . . "

"You sure as hell didn't!!" Kagome started towards him at the beginning of his telltale snorts. "Damnit Inuyasha don't you dare laugh!"

Inuyasha shook his head in mock disapproval. "Where the hell did you get that mouth wench?"

"One can only wonder," Kagome snapped through gritted teeth. "Now tell me about the demons."

"Low level and no Naraku to speak of," he explained dismissively. "Nothing to worry about."

Kagome attempted to process what he was saying. A voice in the back of her mind was whispering that she was missing something. Something huge. _Youkai attacked and yet Inuyasha was. . . here. _Her eyes widened at the revelation. "You came back."

"Keh! I said I would didn't I?" he stated brushing off the comment as it sounded mysteriously familiar to the conversation he had had with the others earlier.

Except the way _she_ said it made his body heat.

Aren't we done yet?" Inuyasha asked, attention span waning now that all of ramen shopping had been completed.

Kagome actually flushed sheepishly at the question. "Um no, I need to buy some tuna."

"Tuna?"

"Yeah I kind of promised Kirara that I would bring her some."

Grateful that Inuyasha for once didn't question her reasoning, she hurried down the store to the correct aisle and snatched the largest can she could find from the top shelf. "Do you think this will be enough, Inuyasha?"

Silence followed.

"Inuyasha?"

She spun around just in time to see a flash of red disappear around the corner. _Crap._

Forsaking her basket in her haste Kagome hurried to catch up. _What the heck had gotten into him?_

Her groan echoed around the store as she caught sight of his baseball cap covered head inches away from the tile covered floor, sniffing loudly hot on the trail of . . . something. Shoppers dodged the strange looking young man, sending her puzzled looks as she traveled humiliated in his wake.

Sitting him was her first inclination. But that would just raise a whole different set of questions by those surrounding them.

She grit her teeth and hurried on as he turned up yet another aisle. She spun around the corner intent on blistering his ears. _No matter how cute they may be. _But she paused in confusion as she realized where she was. He had stopped in the most unlikely section. Shelves filled with perfumed bathing products surrounded them on all sides.

"Do you remember when I said you need to attempt to fit in when you go out in public?" Kagome asked as she stalked down the aisle towards the wandering hanyou who was glancing around with a critical eye.

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" he asked, his tone implying that he didn't really care what her answer was.

"Are you kidding me?"

Inuyasha's nose twitched as he drew closer to one bottle in particular. It was obviously not what he was searching for as his face scrunched up in distaste and he batted the thing away.

_Guess I'm paying for that one, _Kagome thought with an indulgent sigh.

Finally he stopped in front of one shelf in particular and snatched up the apparent winner. "Inuyasha?" The young man was inspecting the bottle in his hand as though it held the key to defeating Naraku.

He ignored her. Walking slowly towards him, lest he dart off again, her confusion only grew as he popped the cap with a clawed finger and took a long sniff.

"Um what are you doing?"

Kagome finally read the familiar label in his hand. "Hey that's my body wash. Eek!" She squeaked as Inuyasha suddenly buried his face in the sensitive crevice between her neck and shoulder.

The hanyou's hot breath on her skin had her backpedaling quickly until she was pressed against the shelves. He followed effortlessly.

The miko couldn't remember a time that Inuyasha had ever been this close to her and it wasn't out of sheer neccessity. Heart beating wildly, simple speech eluded her.

"I thought I smelled you," Inuyasha finally explained though he didn't alter his position. "but it was that."

He was no longer inhaling curiously, but slowly. Deeply. Heat flooded her face, before it moved steadily lower.

His body was solid and strong against her own sending all types of thoughts through her mind that would have rivaled the naughty mouth the hanyou claimed she was getting.

As though answering her silent prayer, Inuyasha moved a breath closer. No more than a millimeter, but just enough to close the space between them. Flush against him she could almost feel the pounding of his heart against her heaving form.

"Vanilla," he said softly, in a tone that sounded all too much like a tantalizing growl. The rumble it caused in his defined chest, vibrated through her own.

The unfamiliar sensation sent a delicious shiver racing over her and caused her breath to hitch. When she finally remembered that she was indeed human, and did need to breathe she could only manage frantic pants that sounded a little desperate, even to her own ears.

"V-Vanilla?" She was obviously not ready for logical thought, let alone speech, and would be the first one to admit that she had absolutely no clue what he was talking about.

"Vanilla but no cherry blossoms," Inuyasha explained in the same way that made her happy he couldn't see her eyes close in bliss.

She had just given up hope of ever figuring out what he was referring to, when he took another long deep sniff, and froze. Kagome's eyes shot wide as she felt his probing stare. Shocked amber eyes stared into her dazed blue ones.

He lifted his hands that had remained firmly at his sides to grab her forearms and bring her so close that her chin rested on his shoulder. _Is he hugging me? _The misguided girl didn't understand until Inuyasha took another analyzing sniff, and she went rigid in his arms.

The boy's cocky comment about Miroku's sex life from earlier finally hit home. _"I never said he told me wench." _

_He can smell . . . that?! _

_  
Oh my God._

Mortified, she almost wished he would never let her go so she wouldn't have to look him in the face again. _He knows that I . . ._ She couldn't even voice it in her own mind.

_Kami!_ He'd never let her live it down. That was if he wasn't completely disgusted by the idea of actually having to admit it aloud. _What the heck was she supposed to do now? _

A brief wet flicker against her sensitized skin made her gasp. A reflex unknown to Kagome caused her to buck sensuously against him before jerking still. _D-Did he just lick me?! _

"Um hi, Kagome."

And that was how they found them.

Locked together against the shelves, gasping for air against each others awakening bodies.

Both went rigid at the dainty voice. Kagome groaned as another was not far behind. "K-Kagome?" _I should have known that where Yuka was Eri was probably not far behind. _

Kagome spun out of the hanyou's embrace to face her startled friends. All three of them. _Of course they __**all**__ had to be here to make my humiliation complete. At least Hojo hadn't popped out of somewhere offering her some homebrewed remedy to soothe her flushed skin._

Yuka and Eri were staring at her as though she had grown another head, and Ayumi was stealing glances at Inuyasha as if considering the ramifications of getting a bad-boy of her own.

"Um hi!" Kagome echoed, her shrill tone grating on Inuyasha's ears, and not sounding remotely comfortable.

"Hi Inuyasha," Ayumi greeted shyly and blushed rather prettily when the boy sent her a nod in return.

"We missed you at school today," Yuka started, giving Inuyasha an accusatory glare knowing that somehow he was responsible.

The half demon sent her one right back, but his had been honed with a couple of centuries worth of practice, and the schoolgirl retreated a few steps at the look.

Kagome elbowed him in the ribs in warning, before answering. "Yeah I know, we just got back today."

"We?" Eri chirped sweetly, not missing that part of the comment.

Kagome fumbled for words at her clumsy mistake. _Great, just great. _"Uh huh, Inuyasha gave me a ride back." _In a manner of speaking._

"So you're feeling better then?" Ayumi asked hopefully, bringing the first real smile to Kagome's face.

"Much," she informed them.

"That's great," Yuka congratulated, still keeping a worried eye on Kagome's testy companion. "We were worried that you would miss graduation. It's only a few weeks away."

"Never!" Kagome assured them. And she meant it. She didn't care how many times she'd have to explain it Inuyasha or osuwari him. She was going to graduation and that was that.

Inuyasha lifted his heavy mane of silvery hair out of the way to scratch the area where the irritating cap fit snugly onto his head, and unknowingly held the three schoolgirls transfixed in the process.

Kagome smiled at her friends' reactions. She'd been like that at first too. Mesmerized by almost every little thing the hanyou did. His mannerisms were strange, but his appearance alone had caused her to lose her train of thought a million times.

"Inuyasha, where did you say you were from?" Eri asked hesitantly, attempting to place the honey colored eyes and pale hair on her mental map.

_Whoa! Better stop that line of questioning. _"Inuyasha didn't you need to-" Inuyasha cut her off mid-sentence.

"I'm going to get some more po-ta-to chips, wench," he stated simply turning away from the group, who were left gasping from his reference.

_Not exactly subtle, but it works._

The small group watched him stride purposefully away from them, before his words finally registered. _Wait a minute. _ "Inuyasha, I already got chips earlier."

Rounding the corner quickly, he chose that time to confess. "Yeah, well they didn't make it."

She rolled her eyes at his comment and returned her attention to her friends. Even Ayumi looked taken aback. "Um Kagome, did your boyfriend just call you a wench?" Eri questioned skeptically.

Kagome hastily tried to think of a way to explain the comment without embarrassing herself or making Inuyasha out to be an even worse candidate in their eyes. "It's a cultural thing you know," she commented vaguely, hoping her answer didn't bring them right back to the question she couldn't answer. Where exactly Inuyasha was from. 

They didn't question her answer and the girl instinctively dodge the jumbo bag of chips Inuyasha pitched into the basket he'd retrieved upon his return. He pulled out a tiny bag of the same snack and added it to the pile.

"So your kit won't try and steal any of mine," Inuyasha explained at her questioning glance. Firmly placing his foot into his mouth yet again.

"Her what?" Yuka asked in confusion.

_Great! _Kagome snatched the first thing she saw off of the shelf, a magazine, and handed it to Inuyasha to occupy himself. In hopes that he would stay silent until this little encounter was over.

"Just a little nickname I call my friend Shippou."

"Shippou?" Ayumi tested the name slowly. "You're friends sure have some exotic names."

"Is he half too?" Eri asked curiously.

"Um no."

"So who is he?" Yuka prodded.

"Kagome's kit," Inuyasha repeated as though sure the girls were either deaf or dumb.

_Thanks Inuyasha. _"Read the magazine, Inuyasha," Kagome ordered sweetly, before attempting to field that one.

"I kind of take care of him."

"You mean like a mother?" Ayumi asked with a small smile, but the other two girls' eyes had widened to the size of saucers. They waited patiently for their friend to answer.

"Kagome . . ." Inuyasha started hesitantly.

She ignored him in hopes he would get the hint to stay quiet. "Um yeah, a little like a mother I guess." They were staring at her as though finally seeing the Kagome she had been trying to hide for the past two years. A young woman living a life that they knew almost absolutely nothing about.

"K-Kagome?" Inuyasha repeated again more urgently.

_No such luck._

"Yes, Inuyasha?" _Could this get any worse?_

"Where the fuck are all these womens' clothes?!"

The frazzled girl glanced at the book the flushed young man was holding in his clawed hands. He flipped another page and obviously shocked himself into dropping the book into the cart. _Swimsuit edition, great. _

And on that note Kagome latched onto her hanyou and the basket and beat a hasty retreat to the nearest exit.

"Miroku-sama incoming! Hiraikotsu!" Sango uttered the words before letting loose her ferocious attack. The bone boomerang flew over the ducking houshi's head to decapitate a descending bird demon. The youkai uttered a final screech before plummeting the short distance to the ground below.

"Watch out for the poison claws!" She warned Shippou, before leaping back into the fray. The kit was shooting off blasts of foxfire from behind the safety of Kirara's transformed body protecting the surviving villagers. They huddled behind the small youkai, hoping for an end to their nightmare.

Their prayer was answered a moment later. The agile taijiya cleaved another youkai in half, narrowly missing the deadly appendages. "Aim for the claws," Miroku advised.

Trusting the houshi instinctively she aimed her weapon at two of the remaining five bird youkai and heaved it into the sky. Both youkai screeched in anger as their poisonous claws were separated from them permanently. Sango smirked as she caught the familiar weight of the weapon and sent Hiraikotsu after the remaining three.

Focused on her target she disregarded the first two and only remebered their existence when she heard Shippou's panicked warning. "Sango!"

The demon slayer heard the hurried clinking of Miroku's staff before her feet were knocked from beneath her. "Umff!" They went rolling along the rough earth, Sango trapped within Miroku's embrace. The bird's strike so close that their hair flew wildly and the feather-soft tips of the wings brushed their faces.

Sango smiled a bit at her breathless savior. "Time for a little clean up?" she suggested sheepishly.

The monk rolled regretfully off of her soft body and unwrapped the rosary from around his palm. "At your service," he replied with a small bow, before turning to the remaining horde. The toxic parts eliminated, he was free to finish them off. "Kazaana!"

The bottomless void opened and the villagers watched in stupefied awe as the youkai struggled against the unforgiving current, then submitted, before being sucked away into silence.

Miroku wrapped the holy beads back into place before helping Sango from her resting place in the dirt. "Hah!" Shippou yelled, amusing the pair with his impromptu victory dance executed astride Kirara's back. "Who needs Inuyasha anyways? Ahh!"

The kitsune tumbled unexpectedly to the earth as Kirara reverted to her smaller, more human-friendly state. The younger women of the village looked entranced as the adorable neko-youkai scampered up Sango's shoulder to nuzzle against her cheek.

A haggard looking older man stepped forward hesitantly and approached the small group. "Thank you so much, strangers. You've surely saved our village from certain destruction."

Sango and Miroku bowed before the village leader, accepting his hearty words of appreciation. A younger version of the man stepped forward as well with a girl who could be no more than eight traveling in his wake. He placed a comforting hand on his father's shoulder before thanking them also. "Kami must have sent you to us, as we do not possess the skills to defend ourselves from youkai."

The little girl peeked from around her father's legs. She seemed more fascinated with the fuzzy yellow cat youkai than the villige's apparent saviors.

"It was no trouble, we assure you," Miroku conceded, "most people do not know the ways of youkai."

The man jumped visibly as Kirara hopped from her perch on Sango's shoulder to land effortless on the head of the small child. He appeared slightly uncomfortably, but returned to the conversation as his daughter giggled in delight.

"Then we are most fortunate to have met you when we did. I am Kanaye and this is my father Hiroshi, and the little one is known as Suki" he introduced. "My father is the leader of this village."

"At least what's left of it," the older man whispered dismally. "Much needs to be done after this atrocity."

"We've never had to worry about youkai before, you understand," Kanaye explained quietly. "We live at the base of the mountain where a mighty taijiya tribe inhabited. But a few years ago they were massacred as well. I suppose no one is safe."

Miroku glanced at Sango at the man's words. She hadn't reacted visibly to the comment but he could tell she was effected. The houshi struggled to find a way to banish her dark thoughts.

"Inuyasha and Kagome won't be back for a few days," he started. "What do you think about staying around here for a while and helping these people get their village resituated? Maybe teach them a few ways that they can defend against a youkai attack?"

Sango seemed to be thinking the idea over intently. For once taking a break in the search for Naraku didn't seem like such a horrible idea. In fact it might be just what she needed if she was serious about her earlier vow to herself. "Sounds good, houshi-sama, but only until Inuyasha and Kagome return."

"Of course," Miroku assured her before turning towards the shocked villagers. "That's only if this arrangement would be alright with you."

From the looks of their faces, it was more than ok with Kanaye, but it was his father who responded. "You would stay and help us?"

"If you wished it."

"Then welcome!" the man said enthusiastically, smiling hesitantly for the first time in their meeting. Kanaye was already beaming, drawing the pair forward before they changed their minds. The villagers cheered around them, offering what little they had as comfort to the formidable newcomers.

Shippou scrambled up Miroku's shoulder to sit next to the monk's ear, rolling his eyes as he stole a glance at some of the fawning young women. He'd probably be slapped more than once, before the night ended. Shippou already had his sights set on the lovely Suki, and with a little help from the fire-cat he thought he might just have a shot.

Sango ignored the irritating males next to her as she knew their obvious ulterior motives. Miroku hadn't propositioned anyone yet, but she wouldn't put it past the hentai. And if Shippou kept leaning any further to catch glances of village leader's granddaughter, then he'd tumble right off of the monk's shoulder.

She let their behavior go as she had ulterior motives of her own. Though none quite so lecherous. Sango needed to find out for herself exactly how hard it was to rebuild a place that had been devastated by youkai.

She tensed and fought off a blush as Miroku threw a familiar arm around her shoulders. As long as the cursed hand didn't travel she would refrain from retaliating. _Maybe._

Sango attempted a warning glare, but was surprised by his pensive stare. "W-What?"

"Just wondering about what you said earlier," he explained. When she shot him her most clueless look he sighed. "About the way I make you feel," he elaborated.

Her face grew hot as she remembered the words she'd mistakenly uttered moments before Inuyasha had returned. "So how _do_ I make you feel?" Miroku asked, his behaving hands belying his seriousness.

The kit on his shoulder interrupted with fake gagging noises that resulted in Sango swiping him from his seat on Miroku's shoulder in embarrassment. He ignored Shippou's plight and waited for answer.

Sango gave up any pretense of being able to save her pride and sighed. "You make me feel. . . .safe."

Miroku hadn't the slightest clue to if he'd been insulted or complimented. She'd said the word slowly as though not entirely familiar with it or the effects of her statement.

The girl dislodged his arm and moved gracefully into the crowd leaving the confused houshi behind, giving him an ample view of what he stood to gain if the answer was the latter.

Author's Notes

I want to thank all the readers for their patience! I love this story and you will be seing a lot more of it in the future. It's so tired of being neglected. Lemme know what you guys think. I tried to make a longer chapter to make up for the horribly long delay. Please check out my other work in the meantime. It's your comments and emails that keep me going.

Blanket Disclaimer: Inuyasha's mine? Keh! I wish! I'm just borrowing em.


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